The Grimm
by emmapetran0990
Summary: PART OF MY CROSSOVER COLLECTION. After Elena's death, Damon Salvatore has made a new life for himself in Portland, Oregon. However, things are quickly changing for Damon. He finds out from an old friend, Emma Petrova, he is descended from a line of guardians known as Grimms, charged with keeping balance between humanity and those that go bump in the night. OC
1. Shooting The Moon

**Inspired by Grimm for this one. Disclaimer: I do not own anything except Emma.**

_"The wolf thought to himself, what a tender young creature. What a nice plump mouthful…" ~ The Brothers Grimm 1812_

* * *

One year had passed since Elena's death…or second death. She had refused to complete the transition after Rebekah threw her and Matt over the Wickery Bridge. Heartbroken, Damon had left Mystic Falls forever and started fresh in Portland, Oregon…until he heard about Stefan's death. When Bonnie had returned Klaus to his original body, the old vampire was furious that his hybrid blood bag was dead. In his anger, he ripped out Stefan's heart. By the time Damon had arrived back in Mystic Falls, Klaus was long gone. All Damon had left was his brother's body. He had buried Stefan next to their father.

When he returned to Portland, his partner, Harry Gilford, of the Portland police department picked him up. Yeah, that's right. Damon was a detective on the police force. He had cleaned up his act. No more delving into the dark side. He'd had enough of it. He'd become the better man and he couldn't stomach any more of the gruesome acts that many vampires took part in.

"Well, well, if ain't the man himself. I wasn't expecting for you to pick me up, Harry," said Damon, throwing his bag into the back seat of the car.

"We've got a call. Up in the woods. Thought it might take your mind off everything."

"Let's go," said Damon as he noticed a beautiful blonde walk past their car.

"Don't think I didn't see that," said Harry, noticing the blonde as well. "You know if you need a wingman…"

"Nope. Not going there."

"She must have been some girl for you to call women off forever."

"It's not for forever. Just awhile and yes…she was some girl. Besides, I wasn't looking at her like that."

"Oh, Damon, don't ruin it for me."

"She wears Armani, makes low six figures, drives a BMW, and is falling for the senior partner of her firm. Nothing but trouble, Harry."

"Why can't you just look at her ass like the rest of us?" As Harry rolled his eyes, walking to the driver's side of the car, Damon noticed the woman's face grow grotesque and her hair turn silver. Damon looked at her more closely, but she turned into a pretty girl once more. Shocked, Damon got into the car and he and Harry left for the national park.

"A hiker flagged me down," said a deputy from the Sheriff's department as he walked with Damon and Harry through the woods. "Said he saw something in the ravine, looked pretty bad. I didn't know what he was talking about until he showed me this." They saw a severed arm by a tree. "The rest of her is off trail."

"How do you know it's a her?" Damon asked.

"Because of this," the deputy said, pulling a plant back and revealing a pair of pink sneakers.

"Woman's Nike," said Harry.

"What kind of animal could do this?" Damon asked, knowing it wasn't a vampire or werewolf. He would have smelled a werewolf. This…this scent surrounding the scene was something different.

"Normally, we'd be able to tell by the tracks. A bear, a cougar, a wolf."

"Well, which one is it?" Harry asked.

"That's where this gets interesting. This is the only track we found," said the deputy, showing the detectives a boot print.

"Hey, we got a boot print down here! We're going to need a cast!" Damon yelled to the crime scene unit before walking back up to the trail with Harry. "This sounds like what happened a month ago at Munson Creek Falls."

"Same deal. Hiker and a bobcat."

"Except the bobcat wasn't wearing boots." When they both arrived at the police station, Harry went to run down a lead while Damon went to search on violent predators within the area. As he walked to his desk, Damon noticed another person change into an un-human creature. What the hell was going on?

More than a little bit freaked out, Damon left the station to visit an old friend. He hadn't seen her since he moved to Portland, but he knew she was living here. A very, very old vampire by the name of Emmalyne Petrova, Emma for short. He had dated her in the twenties and their break-up had been mutual. He had been too infatuated with Katherine at the time. Now, he realized it was a mistake ever letting her go. If anyone knew what was going on, it would be Emma. She was well connected in the supernatural community. Before he could even knock on Emma's door, it opened, revealing a stunning brunette.

"Hello, Damon. I've been expecting you."

"Emma. You're more beautiful than the last time I saw you."

"I see your compliments have gotten better with age. Please. Come inside. I'll make some tea." Damon nodded and entered the house. Before she closed the door, Emma looked down the street, making sure it was safe. "I heard about Stefan. My condolences."

"He just died last week. How did you…"

"You forget I'm well connected. Klaus is a no good scoundrel. I told you going back to Mystic Falls was a mistake. That place attracts the supernatural," said Emma as she walked into the kitchen and began to boil a pot of water.

"Well, you were right about one thing. Me going back there would only bring heartbreak."

"I'm sorry about that too. I heard about Elena. Poor thing never stood a chance at having a normal life. I'm glad you finally came to see me, Damon. I missed you."

"I missed you too," Damon smiled. "You have no idea how much."

"I presume you've begun to see them?"

"So I'm not going crazy."

"No, you're not. There are things you don't know about me, about your family."

"All my family's dead, Emma."

"Your mother didn't die in a carriage accident, Damon. She was killed and she gave me this," said Emma removing a green pendant from a box on the mantle. "Now it's time I return it to you. I don't know what it's for. She just told me it was important." The tea-kettle whistled and Emma poured the tea into two cups. Once she sat down on the couch in the living room, she handed Damon a cup. "How many have you seen?"

"Two."

"Dreams?"

"A few now that I think about it."

"It's already begun. Stefan's death must have triggered it."

"What are you talking about?"

"Katherine thought she was being smart turning the last descendants of the Salvatore line, but she didn't know about your half-brother. You have the ability to see what cannot be seen. When they lose control, they can't hide and you see them for what they really are. The stories are real, what they wrote about. Your family is descended from the Grimms."

"Grimms? You mean the elite line of hunters charged with keeping the world safe from supernaturals? I thought that was a legend."

"It's not. Trust me. I've had a run-in with a few. They're very real."

"I thought they were human. And I'm obviously not."

"It's not unheard of for a blutsager, sorry vampire, to become a Grimm. I've seen one other in my existence. When you killed Zach…that started it. He was the last human of the Salvatore line. In vampires, it takes a while for the abilities to manifest. Usually, between siblings it occurs among the youngest, but since Stefan died, the power went to you instead. You need to be careful, Damon."

"Seems like I never get a break. How do I stop it?"

"Stop it?" Emma scoffed. "You can't stop it. It's who you are. There's something I'd like to show you. Feel like going for a run?" Damon smirked and he followed Emma at super speed to a trailer storage park. "Ah, here we are."

"What is this?"

"This is your family's legacy," said Emma, opening the trailer. "Your family started profiling supernatural creatures over two thousand years ago. They hunted down the bad ones. The last Grimm I met was in the 50s. When he died, he asked me to keep all these documents and valuables safe. I owed him a few favors. Books are by the table, weapons in the cabinet, and potions by the sink. Have at it, Grimm." Emma then tossed him the keys to the trailer and left a stunned Damon. He was a frickin' Grimm. Just his luck.

The next morning, Damon woke up in the trailer to the sound of his cellphone. He had been reading through the books and the wealth of knowledge in this trailer was astounding. When he answered his phone, he found out a little girl had gone missing. His one weakness in police work had been missing children. Maybe it was because he could never have children, but he felt strongly about criminals who preyed on children.

"What do we have?" Damon asked Harry at the girls' residence.

"Little girl was supposed to go to her grandfather's house. Never showed up. She was last seen in purple leggings and a red sweatshirt."

"Oh, geez. Do you think it's the same guy?"

"It's too much of a coincidence for it not to be. Hey, who's that? She keeps staring at you." Damon turned to see Emma across the street. She smiled.

"That's Emma Petrova. An old friend of mine."

"How do you know her?"

"Used to be a cop in Seattle. We dated a couple times," Damon half-lied. "I consult her sometimes on cases. I'll catch up with you later." Harry nodded and Damon walked across the street to Emma. "What do you know?"

"What makes you think I know anything?" Emma teased.

"Come on, Emma!"

"Blutbad."

"Blut what?"

"Blutbad. The girl was abducted by a blutbad. Commonly known as the Big Bad Wolf."

"Like a werewolf?"

"No. They're different from werewolves. Werewolves are cursed humans who change on the full moon. A blutbad is born as a wolf and can change at will. They're very violent in packs. And don't even get me started if they see the color red."

"You know where he is."

"No. I don't. And I'm telling the truth, but I know someone who might. He lives on Hildebrand."

"Let's go." A few miles away, Emma and Damon arrived at 418 Hildebrand Street.

"His name's Monroe. He's a clockmaker and a blutbad," said Emma, looking through the window. "He might be around back."

"How did you meet this guy?"

"We may or may not have had a few drinks together."

"You dated a wolf? You hated werewolves."

"Don't ever mistake a blutbad for a werewolf. They are two completely different things. You'll understand once you meet him." Suddenly, a man came out of a window and attacked Damon.

"You shouldn't have come here, blutsager," said a tall, brown-haired man with the face of a wolf.

"Oh, would you relax, Monroe!" Emma yelled.

"Emma?" Monroe asked, turning to Emma. "He's with you?"

"Of course he's with me!"

"Sorry," said Monroe, reverting to his human form. "Well, you're paying for that window. Come on. Let's grab a beer." Damon looked at Emma curiously and she shrugged. They walked into the living room and Monroe put to beer glasses on the table. "Good to see you, Em. Who's your friend?"

"Damon Salvatore." Monroe's eyes widened.

"Whoa. You're a…he's a…Whoa. I've never seen one of you up close before. Heard about you all my life. A Grimm. What do you know? Listen, I don't want any trouble. I'm not that kind of blutbad anymore. I haven't killed in years."

"Blutbads are known for violence," said Damon, remembering an entry in the book. "How do you…"

"First off, the plural is blutboden and as to how I stay good…through a strict regimen of diet, drugs, and pilates. I'm a reformed Blutbad, a Wieder Blutbad. Different church all together."

"We need your help finding other blutbad, Monroe," Emma said.

"I don't bother the other blutbaden, they don't bother me."

"Come on, Monroe. He has a little girl. Besides, you owe me for the hexenbeist you pissed off!" Emma argued.

"Fine," Monroe whined..They walked outside Monroe's house into the forest and Monroe sniffed the air.

"If it's the same blutbad that killed that woman in the woods…"

"Well, assuming he fed yesterday, he'll be good for a week, maybe ten days tops," said Monroe, interrupting Damon. "He'll just use the time to fatten her up. I've got him."

"Did you really smell him?" Damon asked.

"Dude, you have no idea."

"Please don't call me dude. I'm over 170 years old," Damon groaned as Emma chuckled.

"We're close. He's over that way," said Monroe as they walked halfway across a bridge. Damon started to walk down the bridge.

"What are you doing?" Monroe and Emma asked simultaneously.

"You said he was over this way."

"Why don't you just call him?" Monroe asked sarcastically.

"We're going this way," said Emma as she jumped off the bridge into the shallow stream.

"Isn't this what the bridge is for?" Damon asked as he walked across the stream.

"I can't believe you seriously dated this guy," said Monroe, shaking his head, as they approached a house. "There's his place. He's my cousin. I can't go any further."

"You bring your gun?" Emma asked Damon as Monroe ran off.

"Yeah."

"Good," said Emma. "I'll distract Frank."

"You know this guy?"

"We may have met once or twice. He's kind of creepy, not to mention dangerous. So if you get a shot, you take it." Emma then walked out of the tree line and up to the house. She knocked on the door and a man in a yellow sweater answered the door. "Hello, Frank."

"Emma. It's been awhile."

"I was just in the neighborhood, hunting. Thought I'd say hi."

"It's lovely to see you. It's late."

"Yeah, I was snacking on these campers and I went back to my car and the engine died. And so has my cell. Mind if I use your phone?"

"I don't see why not. Please come in." Smirking, Emma ducked.

"Now, Damon!" Damon fired three shots, taking down the blutbad. "Where is she, Frank! Where is she!" However, it was too late. Frank was dead.

"She's got to be in the house!" said Damon, running to the door. They walked into the house, searching and then Damon heard a creaking sound. He moved a rug and saw a trap door. He opened the door and walked down the stairs to see the girl tied up.

"Oh my God," said Emma from behind Damon as he untied her.

"It's okay now, sweetie. I'm going to take you home."

After returning the girl home, Damon was walking Emma home.

"Thanks for, uh, walking me back," said Emma underneath the porch lights.

"It's you I should be thanking. If you hadn't come to see me this morning, that girl might not have ever been found."

"Well, I think now you're going to need all the friends you can get. You have a responsibility that you can't ignore."

"I couldn't ignore it even if I tried," Damon grumbled.

"You have to hunt down the bad ones. Just like your ancestors did. You have an ability and you must use it. I suspect the Reapers will come soon. They're a secret organization dedicated to killing those like you."

"Well, luckily for me I have a bad ass blutsauger on my side." Emma laughed.

"Goodnight, Damon."

"Wait," Damon interrupted. He couldn't leave things like this. "I want you to know that I made a mistake leaving you. And if I could take back all the things I said and did to you, I would." Emma smiled and kissed Damon.

"I know. At least now you can make up for it."

"Lunch? Tomorrow? I'll pick you up."

"Sure. That sounds great." Emma kissed his cheek and then walked inside. As Damon walked down the steps, however, he heard a crash. He ran inside the house to see the same blonde woman he saw earlier today trying to inject Emma with vervain. He pushed her into a wall and she ran out of the house. Ignoring the woman, Damon tended to Emma who had been rendered unconscious by a sharp shove into a bookcase.

The blonde woman walked down an alleyway near Emma's house where a black SUV was waiting. The captain of Damon's homicide division was at the wheel.

"Is she dead?" Captain LeGrange asked.

"No. He was there."

"That's unfortunate."

**Please review!**


	2. The Kill

_"She looked in the window, and then peeped through the keyhole; seeing nobody in the house, she lifted the latch."_

It was early in the morning when the ICU doctor updated Damon on Emma's status. Emma had never woken up after her bout with the intruder in her house. Damon surmised some of the vervain must have been injected into her system. He had tried everything, even blood, but she wouldn't drink it. Scared for her life, Damon had taken her to the hospital.

"How is she?" Damon asked the doctor.

"We found high, concentrated levels of verbena in her system."

"Emma owns an herbal shop. She drinks vervain tea." It wasn't a total lie. Emma did own an exotic spice shop.

"Well, her body is reacting as if she's allergic to the substance. We've flushed out her system and she's recovering nicely. I can release her to you. Just make sure she gets some bed rest."

"No problem," Damon nodded as Harry walked down the hallway.

"How is she?" Harry asked.

"She's going to be okay, I think."

"What happened?"

"She had an allergic reaction to some tea, believe it or not," Damon said, repeating his cover story.

"Must have been some tea."

"Yeah."

"She's more than just an old friend, isn't she?"

"Let's just say, Emma and I have…history. It's complicated. Any new cases?"

"Yeah. One just came across my desk. This girl, Gilda Darner, said her boyfriend was attacked. She's in my car. She was going to show me the crime scene. You want to come?"

"Yeah. After I take Emma home. Text me the address." Harry nodded and left as Damon entered Emma's hospital room.

"You shouldn't have brought me to a hospital," said Emma as she pulled her jacket on. "You know I hate them."

"I'm sorry, but I didn't know what else to do. You wouldn't drink any blood. I had no choice."

"I understand why you did it. Doesn't mean I have to like it. Just take me home. I could use a long nap."

After Damon dropped Emma off at home, he arrived at the house, which Gilda Darner indicated was where her boyfriend was attacked. Sergeant Chang was already at the house having received a breaking and entering report from the owners, Mr. and Mrs. Ray.

"Mr. & Mrs. Ray got back from Seattle a few hours ago. Found their house broken into. Somebody raided the fridge, hit the liquor cabinet, tried on some clothes, and test-drove a couple of beds," said Chang.

"Any sign of violence?" Harry asked.

"No. No blood, no body parts. Only stains we've come up with are wine and whoopee. Who's her missing boy toy?"

"Says his name is Rocky."

"We're trying to figure out how much of her story is true," said Damon as they looked at the back door window. "Well, she's copping to the B & E so some of it is. Where are the owners?"

"Upstairs," Chang answered.

"Somebody was sleeping in our bed," said Diane Ray in the bedroom.

"Sleep had nothing to do with what they were doing in our bed," said her husband, Mike.

"You have an alarm system?" Harry asked.

"We've been a little lax in using it. We're pretty remote out here. We've never had a problem before," Mike answered as Damon noticed claw marks by the window.

"You should see the living room," said Chang.

"Nothing was stolen?" Damon asked as he looked through the debris of the living room.

"Don't know yet. Nothing obvious," Mike said.

"You have quite a collection. Is that a Phyrgian war club?" Harry asked Diane.

"Yes, actually it is."

"And a New Guinea tribal fork. This is some valuable stuff."

"You know your Aboriginal art," Mike muttered.

"I've never seen one like that before," said Harry, referring to a claw-like scoop.

"It's Germanic. Very rare. From about 900 A.D," said Diane. "We belong to organizations that protect Native land from development. There's a lot of rich cultural heritage disappearing and we're trying to protect what's left locally and globally."

"Honey, I think you're getting a little irrelevant."

"Well, you have to respect your ancestors, right, Detective?"

"Well, I had to respect mine. Otherwise, I couldn't sit down for a week."

"Anyone else have access to the house while you were away?" Damon asked.

"Just our cleaning people and our son, Barry, whose staying with friends and our neighbors, the Culberts who check on our house time to time when we're not around," Mike answered as his son, Barry, entered the room.

"You're Barry Ray, right? You didn't happen to see anyone here, did you?" Damon asked.

"He was staying at Jason and T.G.'s house while we were gone," Diane said.

"Sorry, Mrs. Ray. We have to ask just in case he saw the boy leave," said Harry.

"I didn't get home until my parents got back," said Barry, turning into a bear and then morphing back. Mike noticed that Damon looked nervous, having seen his son turn. "I didn't see anyone."

"How far away do you guys live?" Harry asked.

"What is this?" Diane asked.

"Look, we're just trying to figure out where everybody was last night," Damon explained. "We know who broke into your house, but nobody's seen the boy since last night. The girl said she heard a scream when she left."

"And you believe someone who broke into our house, drank our wine, ate our food, and took advantage of our bedroom. I think you'd be better off looking under a few rocks. You should remember that we're the victims here."

"If you want to talk to us again, call my law firm," said Mike.

"Man, we really hit a nerve," said Harry as they left the house.

"Let's run some phone records. Pin down where everybody was last night." While Harry busied himself with phone records, Damon went over to the trailer. In the weapons cabinet, he found the same claw scoop he saw in the Ray's house. When he went to Emma's house, Emma had just broken out a blood bag.

"Want some?" Emma asked.

"No, I'm good. I'm surprised you're awake."

"I only needed about an hour's sleep and this blood will perk me right up."

"You ever seen one of these?" Damon asked, showing Emma the claw scoop from the trailer.

"Not up close thank God. Jagerbars use these for disemboweling."

"What do you know about them?"

"What? Am I your personal Grimmapedia?"

"You knew about the Blutboden so I'm guessing you know about the Jagerboden."

"It's just jagerbars. How did you run into one of those anyway?"

"I'm working on a case. I saw a kid turn into one."

"Is that where you got the claw?"

"No. It was in the trailer."

"They use those claws in the roh-hatz."

"Roh-hatz?"

"It's like a bar mitzvah for bears. It's a very physical thing, pounding of chests, like wailing. Who wails anymore? They're supposed to connect with the primitive beast in all of us."

"What do they do?"

"It's all about the chase."

"Chase?"

"The roh-hatz. Caveman mumbo jumbo. Let's get some beers and barbeque and be stupid. How old was the boy?"

"Eighteen."

"That could be a problem if they're traditional. Anyone die?"

"No. I've got a missing person."

"The roh-hatz is a rite of passage from boy to man. They do it at sunset. It isn't pretty," said Emma as Damon phone rang.

"Yeah?"

"Ran the phone records. Several calls made between 9 and midnight. We triangulated a call from Barry Ray's cellphone that puts him at his house at 11:30 that night."

"When Gilda was there with Rocky."

"Yeah, so Barry's lying and lawyer Dad is running interference."

"A lawyer doing a bad thing? Never heard of that before."

"We have a bigger problem though. Rocky's dad just called. Gilda made bail. She went over to Rocky's house and grabbed a gun. He couldn't stop her. Said she was going to get Rocky back or kill the people that took him."

Damon rushed out of Emma's house and met Harry at the Ray's house where Diane Ray was working outside and Mike had returned from work.

"What do you want?" Diane asked.

"The woman who broke into your house is on her way here and she's not happy. She's got a gun," Damon explained as Harry searched around the house.

"What? Is everything okay?" Mike asked.

"Everything's fine," Diane said.

"I don't really think so."

"It doesn't look like she's here yet. I'm going back down the road. I'll block it off in case she shows," said Harry, getting back in his car.

"We need to talk right now. I know what you are. You know who I am. So let's cut the crap," said Damon.

"You want to cut the crap? Okay. You're a Grimm. You're a danger to my family and don't think wearing a badge is going to protect you," said Mike.

"This isn't about me. I know about the hunt."

"What are you talking about?"

"The roh-hatz."

"Nobody does that anymore."

"Yes, they do. When the sun goes down tonight, it's going to be too late. Look, Barry and those two boys have got Rocky and we don't have a lot of time. Come on. You're a lawyer. If they kill this innocent kid for this stupid hunt, their lives are over."

"Where are they?" Mike asked Diane.

"I told you."

"Where are they!"

"Why don't you ask to see his warrant?" Diane spat before going back inside the house.

"My God. I didn't realize. We're going to have to take my four wheeler."

"You know where they are?"

"I know where they might be." A few minutes after driving through the woods, they stopped by a cave.

"How do you know they're here?"

"I don't. There's a cave up ahead. Let me go first. Try and talk them out."

"No. I'm either coming with you or going alone." They walked inside the cave, but it was empty.

"Damn. We're too late. It's started," said Mike, seeing clothes on the ground. He smelled the scent and ran off, tracking his son. Damon tapped into his super speed to keep up with him. They finally ran into the humans being chased. Damon punched one of Barry's friends. One jagerbar came up behind him, but Emma appeared kicking him in the back.

"Emma? What are you doing here?"

"Figured you could use a little back-up," said Emma as Barry came rushing towards them.

"No, Barry!" Mike yelled. "This is over! It stops now!" A roar resounded through the trees as a bear came rushing through the tree line. It was Diane.

"No, Mom!" Barry yelled as Diane fell into a hidden trap filled with spikes. Thankfully, Diane was still alive by the time the EMTs came. "Mom, I'm so sorry."

"You did nothing wrong, son."

"Yeah, you did, Diane. And now we're all going to have to pay for it," said Mike as they took their son and his friends away in a squad car.

"You have to respect your ancestors."

"Not like this. Detective, she wanted them to know their heritage. She never understood the danger of it. It isn't easy to give up your history. You haven't had to give up yours."

"Oh yeah. It's been a lot of fun," said Damon sarcastically, walking over to Emma.

"Hey," she said. "You doing okay?"

"Yeah. Sorry about lunch. Rain check?"

"Sure. I have a pot of this great Venezuelan coffee at home. Want some?"

"Coffee sounds great right about now," Damon smiled as he took her hand. However, when they arrived at her house, coffee was the last thing on Damon's mind. He had pushed her up against the door, kissing her neck. He couldn't help himself. He hadn't felt so helpless when Emma was sick since the night Elena died.

"What about the coffee?" Emma asked in between kisses.

"Screw the coffee. You scared me so much. And I know I should take things slow with you again, but I've lost so many people and I…"

"Shh. I know what's it like. Trust me. I'm a lot more comfortable picking up where we left off then going through this awkward dance." Damon smiled, truly smiled. "Just promise me one thing."

"Anything."

"You'll move in with me and you won't ever leave me like you did back then."

"That is one thing I can most definitely promise," said Damon, sealing the deal with a kiss.


	3. Enemies

_"She'll sting you one day. Oh, ever so gently, so you hardly even feel it. 'Til you fall dead."_

"You're late," said Harry when Damon arrived downtown at a street-car crime scene.

"Sorry. I got a little distracted."

"With your hot on again-off again girlfriend."

"She was helping me move my stuff over to her place."

"Yeah, I think there was more going on than moving boxes." Damon shot him a look. "Fine, fine. I'll drop it. So dying on a streetcar while dancing to YMCA. What do you think?"

"Sounds like a crappy way to go."

"Body's ID'd as Serena Dunbrooke. 34. Probably on her way to work which is the swank law firm of Berman, Rautbort, & Associates," said Harry as they looked at the body which was extremely swollen. "It's unofficial, but Geek Squad is thinking anaphylactic shock."

"This happened from one little bee sting? We need to get the M.E. on her medical records. See if she was allergic to anything."

"Come on, Damon. This is a waste of time."

"We don't know if this was an accident yet."

"Must have been a killer bee, huh? Come on. Twenty bucks says no foul play."

"Pay up. Looks like a puncture wound."

"Maybe a needle?"

"More like a nail. Time to get Harper out of bed." After autopsying the body, the medical examiner called Damon and Harry over to the morgue.

"Here it is. Cause of death. Anaphylactic shock. Mode, apitoxin," said Dr. Harper.

"Bee venom," Damon muttered.

"Gold star. I've sent a sample to a local apiarist for further analysis."

"That's beekeeper. I can play this game too," said Harry.

"Let's pretend it wasn't a bee sting," Damon suggested.

"Ooh. Going for the extra credit. Well, it's definitely a puncture wound, but I can't tell you what made it. I've never seen a needle gauge this big."

"So was she allergic to apitoxin?" Damon asked.

"No, but medical records never kept anyone from dying. I found close to 50 milligrams of apitoxin. A bee sting carries about .1 milligram."

"That would make it a bee the size of LeBron James," said Harry.

"More like the big three combined."

"Okay, sports fans," said Damon, rolling his eyes. "So Serena Dunbrooke gets on a Portland street car, people erupt into spontaneous dance, and…"

"Our opportunistic killer takes advantage of the chaos and strikes her with bee venom. Weird, but possible," Harry finished.

"And definitely a homicide," Dr. Harper said.

"That flash mob was our witness pool. Put it on the news. Anyone that's innocent should come straight-forward," said Damon, leaving the morgue. About an hour later, Harry received a text on his phone.

"Harper's bee man just buzzed me." Damon looked at him. "Yeah, I went there." Damon shook his head and they left for the apiarist. "What makes a guy want to work somewhere in such a dangerous environment?"

"What is robbery and homicide too tame for you?" Damon asked as a man approached them. "Professor Spinella, were you able to identify the apitoxin our coroner sent over?"

"Indeed, I did, Detective."

"And?" Harry prodded.

"Well, it's not synthetic."

"You mean, someone actually harvested fifty milligrams of apitoxin from actual bees?" Damon asked.

"Apparently so. You see natural apitoxin shares geographical traits, signaures. Via analysis of the chemical ratios of the venom, one can determine the georegional origins. I'd definitely identify this apitoxin as exotic, which would normally mean China, Africa, France. However, your apitoxin shows chemical levels that I've never seen before. This apitoxin has no known origin. Excuse me."

"Unknown origin? This isn't some sci-fi novel. This crap couldn't come out of nowhere."

"You think he's hiding something?" Damon asked.

"Detectives! In case I'm on that list of yours, harvesting apitoxin in that amount would require much more sophisticated equipment than I have at my disposal," said Spinella. "Besides, I was at the Howard Johnson Hotel in Eugene last night for this year's Oregon's Beekeeper's Con. "

"Pretty crowded convention?" Harry asked.

"There's twelve of us actually. Anything else?"

"No, professor. We'll be in touch."

After speaking with Serena's boss, Damon and Harry returned to the station, which was filled with people from the street-car. Through tiring interrogation, Damon and Harry found out everyone had the same story.

"Can I go now?" asked one of the suspects to Damon.

"Actually, no, Doug. I'd like to go over it again."

"From the beginning?"

"Well, yeah. Unless you know what happens in the end."

"Like I said. I got the same invitation everybody else did. Figured I'd go have some fun with some strangers."

"It sounds like there's an echo in here because I keep hearing the same thing over and over again. Okay, can I see the tweet? A tech-savvy guy like you I'm sure you still have it on your phone."

"Um, I've got some personal stuff on there."

"Alright. Well, let's talk about the victim. Serena Dunbrooke got on the street-car same time as you. She's a pretty girl. She stood right behind you. Come on, Doug. We have you on the videotape."

"No, I was on the other side."

"Really? Because in your previous statement you said you hadn't seen her at all. So which is it, Doug? You want to let me see the phone unless you're hiding something." Doug's arm then transformed. A knock on the door startled Damon. It was Harry. He left the room and saw a guy in the lobby and Doug both turn into insects.

"You got something off this Doug Shill guy?" Harry asked.

"Yeah. I think I just did."

A half-hour later, Doug Shill and John Coleman were released from police custody and Damon and Harry trailed them to an old factory.

"Abandoned paper mill. This doesn't look like home," said Harry.

"Know anything about Primrose Paper?"

"Heard of it. That's all. Family business. Been here forever. Do you really think Doug Shill and John Coleman know each other?"

"Let's hope letting them go pays off," said Damon as they entered the building and spied on a meeting between two men and a woman.

"Hello, conspiracy."

"So much for claiming to be strangers."

"Who is that?"

"I can't get a good look at her." Suddenly, a swarm of bees flew toward them and the three suspects fled. As Damon and Harry ran out of the building, Harry was stung several times.

"Ah, man. I've got at least twelve bee stings. This is crazy. Someone gets killed by bee venom and we get attacked by a swarm."

"Come on. I know someone who can help." That night, Emma was applying an herbal mixture to Harry's bee stings.

"Ow!" Harry shrieked.

"You're a bigger baby then he is," Emma said, shaking her head. "Bees only sting when provoked. You kick a hive or something?"

"No. They just came out of nowhere and headed for yours truly."

"Maybe you were their flower."

"Excuse me?"

"Bees are highly effective communicators. A scout will fly around until they find the perfect flower and it goes back to the hive and signals the others to follow."

"I thought you were an herbalist and an ex-cop. Where'd you learn that?"

"Animal Planet."

"They say anything about training bees to attack people?"

"That sounds more like a bad movie. You should go rest for the next eight hours and make sure not to scratch. And drink this herbal tea mixture. It should lessen the inflammation."

"Thanks, Emma. See you tomorrow, Damon," said Harry as he left.

"You're dealing with a Mellifer," said Emma as she put her supplies away. "Call Monroe. You're going to need him for this one."

"You want to come?"

"Nah. I think I'll stay here so you can know what you're missing out on," said Emma. Wrapping his hands around her waist, Damon kissed her.

"Message loud and clear. I'll be back as soon as I can." That night, Damon was walking through the paper mill when he heard a noise. He turned around, shining his flashlight on a man.

"Easy there, 5-0. You called me, remember? Don't you have a partner for this?" Monroe asked.

"Oh yeah. Because if I told my partner my two main suspects turned into bees, he'd understand."

"Lucky me. Mellifers, huh?"

"They had something to do with a murder on a Portland street car."

"Murders aren't really their schtick."

"Bees bite, don't they?"

"Yeah, when…"

"Threatened, I know. I read in the book they have something to do with balancing the ecotone. What does that mean?"

"That's just some fancy pants mumbo jumbo for saying they're gossips, the creature community switchboard."

"Or social media?"

"And if a Mellifer sends out a message it definitely means something sketchy is going on."

"Harry and I were attacked by a swarm of bees if that's sketchy enough for you. I was following two guys who turned out to be Mellifers and they met a woman."

"And? What? Do you think I know everything about every creature out there?"

"I don't need you for what you know. I need your nose."

"Oh, I get it. So Little Timmy's stuck in a well and you need Lassie to come find him. Boy, you really know how to butter a guy up."

"I have a bottle of Bordeaux 78 in my trunk."

"I can maybe track a scent."

"Why would a Mellifer kill an innocent woman?"

"Maybe she wasn't so innocent. Up here. Mellifers only have one natural enemy."

"Hexenbiest."

"Look at you hitting the books. Oh yeah. I'm definitely getting a female scent. Undeniable."

"You're that sure?"

"No, her perfume. It's called Undeniable. She was in this office."

"Hey, wait up."

"Don't you dare say heel!"

"We didn't see them come in here. They left."

"Hey, the nose knows. She was in here. May have left something behind. The scent's real strong. She could come back at some point. Maybe we could crack that Bordeaux while we wait."

"Name's Melissa Wincroft."

"Whoa. Did you just like Grimm that in some kind of telepathic way?"

"No. I read it off an envelope. Melissa Wincroft, Manager and CEO. This must have been her office."

"That's cheating. Well, I sniffed her out."

"Good boy," Damon smirked. "Think you could track this scent to her house."

"Yeah. Let's go." A few minutes later, they arrived at a large mansion and walked inside. "This is definitely her place. This is so the part of the horror movie where the side kick gets it."

"Just stay close," said Damon as they found a staircase.

"Tell me we are not going up stairs. We're going up stairs." Damon opened a door and found a huge hive. "Oh. My. God." The next morning, Damon called a crime scene unit to the house and Harry met him upstairs.

"Damn!" Harry said.

"I know right," Damon replied. "Forensics say this stuff is a preliminary match to the apitoxin in Serena's system."

"Which makes Melissa our primary suspect if we could find her. She didn't sell this place and buy a new once. It's like she just picked up and disappeared. How did you find this woman and her hive?"

"It's all in the legal files. Everything's connected. Shill, Coleman, the mill. Even Serena."

"So connect the dots."

"Messy class action lawsuit about a year ago. Serena represented another mill in a hostile takeover of Primrose Paper. The employees tried to fight it. Lost."

"Let me guess two of those employees were Shill and Coleman."

"Exactly. Melissa Wincroft was their boss. Her family owned and operated the mill for over a century. She had the most to lose."

"So she's taking revenge on Serena for getting her company shut down," said Harry as his phone rang. "Yeah? Okay. Thanks."

"What?"

"Another tweet. Another flash mob. This time by hokey pokey. Camilla Gotlepit."

"Gotlepit? She was on the Primrose Paper case with Serena. There's a third lawyer on the case," said Damon, dialing a number his phone. "I need a unit sent to Berman, Raupert, and Associates. Take an attorney into protective custody. Her name's Adalind Schade."

When Damon and Harry arrived at the station, Captain LeGrange had Adalind in his office.

"Ms. Schade, I'm Captain LeGrange. These are detectives Gilford and Salvatore." When Adalind turned around, Damon realized she was the same woman who tried to poison Emma.

"We need to ask you a few questions. Can I offer you a cup of coffee?" Harry asked.

"Yeah," Adalind replied as she left with Harry.

"Damon? Damon, you okay? You look like you've seen a ghost. You know this woman?" LeGrange asked.

"For a second, I'd thought I'd seen her somewhere before."

"But you're not sure?"

"No."

"Stay on your game and keep her safe. We don't want her to be number three." Leaving the Captain's office, Damon headed to the morgue.

"I need to see their tongues," said Damon to Dr. Harper.

"Whatever floats your boat. Their bodies were so swollen I had to cut them out just to get a look inside. Here they are." Damon looked on the underside of their tongues and saw the mark of a hexenbeist.

Meanwhile at the station, LeGrange met with Adalind after Harry asked her a few questions.

"Salvatore remembers me," said Adalind.

"I pushed him, but he's keeping it to himself."

"Maybe he's just waiting to get me alone."

"I told you I won't let anything happen to you."

"Is that what you told Serena and Camilla?"

"Serena and Camilla are not you."

"I can take care of myself. Just find this Queen or I'm not the only one who's going to get stung."

When Damon returned to the station, Harry had run a variety of searches for Melissa Wincroft.

"No credit card activity, no travel, no sign of Melissa Wincroft in the system," said Harry.

"She's got no known family," Damon added.

"Friends?"

"Well, we know about Shill and Coleman, but I doubt she's going to be calling them," said Damon as an idea struck him.

"That look usually gets us in trouble."

"She might not be getting in touch with them, but if they got in touch with her."

"Shill's not cooperating unless he sees a lawyer."

"We don't need him to cooperate. We just need him to do what he does best. Send a message. And he doesn't know we're protecting Adalind Schade."

"Nor does Melissa Wincroft." A few minutes later, Damon walked into the interrogation room with Shill's phone.

"Hey, Shill. You and I have some unfinished business. So why don't we pick up where we left off? You were about to show me some tweets."

"Tweet this. I don't have to do anything until my lawyer gets here."

"Now Doug. We've seen you at the scene of the crime. We tailed you to a meeting with our prime suspect. You will do 7-10 on conspiracy alone no matter how good your lawyer is. So why do you want to keep protecting Melissa Wincroft? There's going to be another victim isn't there? Tell me. Who is it? Doug, do yourself a favor."

"Damon, Captain needs to see you," said Harry, interrupting the interrogation.

"This isn't over." Damon left the room and walked into the observation room.

"Oscar worthy performance, DeNiro. Let's just hope it works," said Harry.

"It will. It's in his nature."

"Come on, Doug. Phone's right there. Take the bait." Finally, Doug picked up his phone and sent a text. Unknown to Doug, the police had tapped into his phone. "He just sent a direct message to a blocked user. Here's the message. _They don't know. AS open._"

"AS? A. S. Adalind Schade. He just told Melissa Wincroft to make their move," said Damon. Several minutes later, the Portland Police used a double of Adalind as a distraction while they placed the real Ms. Schade in a safehouse.

"Do you think this will work?" Adalind asked Damon and Harry.

"We've got to smoke her out somehow. I'll go get us some coffee."

"I know what you are," said Damon.

"I'm an attorney."

"You're a hexenbeist. Just like Serena and Camilla. I saw their marks. You tried to kill my girlfriend. So were they in on it with you? Your sisters? Who do you work for? Why do the Mellifers want you dead?"

"You're a detective. Figure it out."

"I don't like this anymore than you do. But if it's my duty to protect you, I might as well have a good reason or I might have a bad day at work."

"You have no idea what you're in the middle of."

"Oh, then who could blame me for making a mistake and letting a Queen Mellifer kill another Hexenbeist."

"This won't end well."

"For you."

"Or you! If something happens to me, it won't just be a Grimm killing a Hexenbeist. It'll be a cop who's let an innocent woman die on his watch. Up to you."

"Help!" Harry yelled from the kitchen, having encountered a swarm of bees. After Damon left the room to help Harry, the bees disappeared. "Where are they going?"

"Adalind?" Damon walked into the room with Harry, but Adalind had disappeared. They ran outside of the hotel room to the staircase. "I'll go down. You go up." Once inside the basement, Damon found Melissa Wincroft.

"I have to kill her. You don't understand."

"Drop it. I'm arresting you for the murders of Serena Dunbrooke and Camilla Gotleipt."

"I did it to protect you."

"That's no excuse."

"We are clarions. We send the warning call. We're on your side. The lawsuit. It was a conspiracy to get rid of us. They're not just lawyers."

"Doesn't matter. You killed two people."

"Two hexenbeists. Closing the mill was their way of stopping us from warning you."

"Warning me?"

"Something's coming. Something bad. I have to finish this."

"Melissa, don't!" Melissa ran off and found Adalind. The two supernaturals fought and as Harry walked down the stairs to help Adalind, Melissa moved to inject Harry with the bee venom. However, she was stopped in her tracks when Damon shot Melissa in the chest twice.

"You okay?" Harry asked Adalind. She nodded.

"He's coming for you," said Melissa to Damon.

"Who?"

"Beware. It's close," she whispered as she died.

That night, Damon was awake in bed, thinking about what had transpired today. Emma was awake as well, her head lying on his chest.

"Harry said you did the right thing."

"Sometimes it's not that simple."

"If it was simple, they wouldn't need you."

"I don't think I made any difference. I tried to stop it and I didn't."

"I think you made a big difference to Harry and the woman whose life you saved." Damon hadn't told Emma that the woman he saved was the same woman who tried to poison her. "Doesn't that make you feel a little bit better about what happened?"

"Yeah, it does," said Damon as he kissed Emma's forehead.

"I'm cold. I'm going to close the window."

"No. I've got it. Go back to sleep." As Damon got up and closed the window, a bee stung him. Was it an omen of what was to come?


	4. Monster

_"There she paused for a while thinking…but the temptation was so great that she could not conquer it."_

"Driver of the car is Leroy Kent," said Harry as he and Damon walked down a bridge. "Says he's driving home from work and drives on bridge. Woman runs right in front of him. She gets hit. Said it happened so fast he couldn't do anything."

"Get an ID on the vic?" Damon asked.

"No ID, no purse. Looks like she just got out of bed."

"No witnesses?"

"Driver says there was one other guy who told him to call 911, but he didn't stick around. I've got guys out canvessing," said Harry as they looked at the body. "Barefoot and ready for bed, but still wearing make-up?"

"Maybe she wasn't alone. Got some glass here."

"Headlights and windshield were still intact. This didn't come from the accident."

"No cuts or abrasions on her feet. She couldn't have run too far."

"I wonder who she was running to."

"Or what she was running from."

Around lunchtime, Damon met with the coroner who had finished the victim's autopsy. "Irises are fully dilated," said Dr. Harper.

"Looks like a shark eye. Is that normal?" Damon asked.

"Well, there's usually dilation after death, but I've never seen it like this before."

"Got a tox report?"

"Preliminary says she had a few drinks, but not a lot. Alcohol was .06."

"What about drugs?"

"Nothing for the usual suspects. For the unusual it's going to take a little more time."

"Any sexual assault?"

"No. But there was something interesting. No crush on the lungs."

"What does that mean?"

"She was asphyxiated, but it wasn't a result of the accident."

"Some one suffocated her before she was hit by the car?"

"So we got a homicide?" Harry asked, entering the room.

"These contusions around her nose and mouth…looks like somebody pinched off her air."

"I got a hit on her prints. Victim's name was Faith Collins. Busted for a DUI a few months ago. License was suspended," Harry said.

"You get an address?" Damon asked.

"About a mile from where she got hit."

"Maybe she was running from home."

"I think maybe she was running from her husband. Roy Collins. Got a record for spousal abuse." After leaving the morgue, Damon and Harry arrived at a carpentry shop where Roy Collins worked.

"You Roy Collins?" Harry asked.

"What'd she tell you? She saying I hit her?" Roy asked.

"She didn't say anything."

"Well, that's different. She usually complains about everything I do."

"Well, she's not going to be complaining anymore. We found your wife's body last night," said Damon.

"What?"

"Your wife's been murdered."

"Oh no."

"I know this is difficult but we need to know the last time you saw her."

"Last night."

"What happened?" Harry asked.

"I came home. I was hungry. Faith wouldn't get off the computer like always. She has to connect with her 322 friends. I mean who has 322 friends? I mean, I'm hungry. I've been working all day."

"So you argued."

"Yeah. And she walked out mad. I didn't mean anything I said."

"Did she tell you where she was going?" Damon asked.

"No."

"Did you go after her?"

"No. "

"When did she leave?"

"I don't know. Ten or something."

"So she left. You stayed home. That's your story?" Harry asked.

"It's the truth."

"Did anybody see? You talk to anybody?" Damon asked.

"No. I was waiting for her to come back. She always comes back. You guys think I did something to her? You think I killed my wife?"

"Did you?" Harry asked.

"You don't have anything on me because I didn't do it. Where is she?"

"Her body's in the morgue," said Damon.

"When do I get her?"

"Somebody will contact you."

Later in the day, Captain LeGrange visited Damon and Harry, curious as to how their case was going.

"What have you got?"

"Well according to her credit card, she had a couple drinks at a bar named the Blue Moon around ten thirty," said Damon.

"Bartender said she talked up a couple locals but she left alone," Harry added.

"She didn't have a car. Her license was suspended."

"Call to the house four times for domestic disturbance," said LeGrange, reading a file. "He's only been arrested twice for abuse. This sounds like a battered wife who couldn't break the cycle. Sure the husband's not covering?"

"Could be after arguing with her," Harry answered.

"Did she call any family?" LeGrange asked.

"No calls left on her cell after nine."

"What about her 322 friends? Maybe she reached out to one of them," said Damon. He punched a few keys on his computer and pulled up Faith's Facebook account. "Hey, she posted last night. Looks like a park."

"Or a private garden? What time did she send it?"

"11:37. If this was taken from a cellphone, the GPS coordinates should be imbedded in the file. 1516 Longacre Road."

"Map it."

"That's right near the bridge. Definitely running distance. The Bramble Haus. A bed and breakfast."

"You know it?"

"When do I have time for bed or breakfast?" Damon asked.

"Let's check out the cab companies and see if any of them made a drop off at a B & B you don't have time for."

A few minutes later, Damon and Harry pulled in front of a quaint bed and breakfast.

"Not bad. You should make time for a place like this. I bet Emma would love it," said Harry.

"Check out this 67 MGB Roadster. Royal blue and chrome bumpers. Collectors call that model right there the most desirable MGB ever made. Impressed?"

"Mildly." After meeting Billy Capra, the owner, they asked him about Faith Collins.

"Of course. I remember her. She came in around eleven o'clock. I was in the kitchen pulling up some biscuits for breakfast when I heard the bell ring so I went and got the door. I showed her a room and the garden."

"But she didn't stay."

"No. She didn't have a bag with her. I'm sorry is there a problem?"

"A cab dropped her off and didn't pick her up. Can you explain that?"

"I really don't know. If they don't want to stay, I can't force them to. To tell you the truth she seemed a little bit concerned or troubled. And it's not really my place for me to get involved in guests' personal lives."

"Could we see the garden?"

"Of course. But I warn you. You might want to stay."

Out in the garden, Damon noticed Billy's reflection in the pound turn to that of a blue goat. He heaved a sigh. Great. Just great. Before the detectives left, Damon told Harry to run a background check on Capra and look into attacks on missing women. That night, Damon and Emma went to the grocery store.

"What do you know about goats?"

"Ziegevolk? I know not to go near one. They defile women who seem to fall under some sort of spell when around them. They're mostly preachers, gameshow hosts, actor types. Like to be in the public eye. They're not very attractive, but they give off this scent that attracts women."

"Like pheromones?"

"Yeah. They secrete it in their sweat. And if they touch you, they like own you. It's real strange. I steer clear of those guys. "

"Would they ever kill?"

"Nah. Bluebeards have a bad rep, but they're lovers not fighters. They like to have a lot of females hanging off their every word. Not exactly the monogamous type. They live for the rut."

"The what?"

"The rut. Picking out the best females for breeding. They're in bars all the time. They're players. One night stand type guys. What are you thinking?" Emma asked after a beat.

"I'm just wondering why certain people are attracted to one another."

"It's all about chemistry."

"Well, that explains Dante. How he stole your…" She shot him a dark look. "The man who was your first love."

"That wasn't love."

"Well, it certainly wasn't looks or intelligence from the paintings I've seen."

"You're one to talk. I knew Katherine."

"Okay, that was not chemistry. That was stupidity."

"Well, how do you know you're not being stupid by being with me?"

"I don't. I just think there's a lot more to it then that."

"You know in biology like systems tend to integrate."

"That's so romantic."

"How about we get the shopping done and go home and integrate?"

"Give me the list and go get the car started." Emma laughed as she left Damon to finish the shopping.

The next morning, Damon arrived at the police station. Harry had arrived at work early to check out Capra.

"What do you got on Capra?" Damon asked.

"All I know is he moved into town about a year and a half ago and bought the bed and breakfast. I'm having a little bit of trouble before that. I think our boy must have changed his name. But I did get a load of hits on women missing in Portland for the last six months. One came from Seattle, another from L.A., and a third from Eugene. All missing cases."

"Are there clusters like this in other cities?"

"I think we better find out."

Half an hour later, Damon and Harry presented their findings to Captain LeGrange.

"It's the same story with each of these women. They all came here in the last five months and vanished," said Damon.

"Any record of these women staying at Capra's place?" LeGrange asked.

"No. But we figured he wouldn't want any record of them staying there," said Harry.

"We think Faith got away from him and he killed her. We also found three other clusters of missing women. One in Detroit, seven women, another batch in Des Moines, six missing women. And four women in Tucson," Damon added.

"Here's the weird thing. All the women were found alive. Half of them pregnant. The DNA checked out to be the same father for each one."

"We have ourselves a serial rapist, not a serial killer," LeGrange surmised.

"This guy is definitely a breeder," said Harry.

"Can you connect him to Des Monies, Detroit, and Tucson?" LeGrange asked.

"We're working on it. We think he changes his identity every time he moves."

"Any of the women able to identify him?"

"No. Every testimony made it sound like they were kept in isolated conditions using some kind of gas to keep them disoriented. They didn't know where they were or who was holding them," Damon answered. "If this is the same guy in Portland, we need to be watching him."

"Well, you guys keep watching, just make sure he doesn't burn you."

That night, Harry placed a tracking device on Capra's car.

"Piece of cake. We're good to go. We can track this guy anywhere. Now all we have to do is wait. Wake me when something happens," said Harry when he got back to Damon's car. As Harry closed his eyes, Capra left the bed and breakfast.

"Wake up."

"Not funny."

"No, he's coming out."

"He's not taking the car? I just got a grease spot for nothing?"

"I'll follow him on foot. You take a look around the house. See if you can find that broken window."

"That'll give us our warrant, which will give us our DNA." Damon followed Capra and saw him eat a toad in the woods. Damon then called Monroe.

"Hello?" Monroe answered.

"It's Damon."

"How did you get my new cellphone?"

"I'm a cop. I need your help. I can pay you."

"Seriously? What do I have to do?"

"All you have to do is go to a bar."

"That I can do."

"And watch a guy. Tell me what he does."

"Okay, who's buying the drinks?"

"Me."

"Alright. Where do I have to be?"

"Blue Moon Bar. Do you know it?"

"Do I know it? Dude, I'm there."

Meanwhile across town, a Croatian man dressed in black opened the door to his hotel room. He was surprised to see Emma there, sitting on his bed, facing the window.

"Shut the door," she said calmly.

"You should rethink this."

"Hozd a kaszás seggét belül és becsukta az ajtót! _(Get your reaper ass inside and shut the door!)_" He did as she said, a bit fearful of her wrath. "First mistake was coming to my city. Second mistake was not knowing who you have to kneel before." He kneeled in front of Emma. "You came without my permission."

"I come to claim the Grimm's head."

"Funny. I deny it," said Emma as she picked up the Reaper's scythe on the bed.

"Are you protecting a Grimm?" Swiftly, Emma cut the Reaper's ear off with his scythe. He screamed in agony.

"Hmm. You got blood on my dress. How distasteful." She picked up the ear on the floor and threw it on the reaper. "Ez azért van így emlékezni fogsz hallgatni, amikor beszélek. Most menj haza és ne gyere vissza. _(This is so you'll remember to listen when I speak. Now go home and don't come back.)_"

As Emma left, Monroe arrived at the Blue Moon Bar. Damon was waiting.

"Okay, who am I supposed to be?" Monroe asked.

"Just yourself."

"That's a little disappointing."

"There's a Ziegevolk in the bar. He's average height, kind of on the skinny side."

"I know a Ziegevolk when I smell one."

"Call me when you get inside. I want to know what he does, who he talks to."

"How come you're not doing this?"

"He's seen me. He knows I'm a cop. One more thing. I saw him eating a toad."

"Dude, he's a toad eater? He's a herder. That's really rare for a Ziegevolk."

"Well, rare or not, he's a serial rapist. You've got to get inside. I need to know what he's doing."

"Okay." He held out his hand for money and Damon gave him a bill. "Seriously? That's like a beer and half an onion ring." Damon sighed and gave him another bill. A few minutes later, Monroe walked out of the bar.

"What are you doing?" Damon asked.

"No way! Dude, I can't be around that guy. He's way too potent. I almost bought him a drink."

"I need you to go back inside. I need to know what he's going to do."

"He's hitting on a girl. She's buying the full toad. He gave her his card. What more do you need to know?" Damon turned around. "What? You're mad at me!"

"He's coming out."

"Want me to track him?"

"No. You're done. You did good. Thank you. You can go home now."

"I don't want to go home now." As Damon followed Capra home, he realized something was wrong as the front door was wide open. He walked downstairs, his gun drawn.

"Harry?" He walked inside a room and found Harry on the floor, weak. A gas was rendering all the humans in the room weak. Suddenly, Capra locked Damon and the others inside the room. Damon broke down the door and turned off the gas. Harry and Damon ran upstairs, but Capra was gone.

"He's in the wind," said Damon when the EMTs arrived to take care of the women Capra had been holding.

"I can't believe we're going to lose this son of a bitch," said Harry as they got in Damon's car. "Let it be my birthday." He pulled up the tracker software on his iPad. It was still working.

"Guess you didn't get that grease spot for nothing."

Later, Billy Capra was at a waterfall attraction just outside of Portland. He noticed Harry and ran.

"Stop, police!" Harry yelled, pursuing Capra. As Capra ran though, he didn't anticipate on Damon elbowing him in the face. Damon kicked him in the stomach, incapacitating him further.

"That's one sick dude," said Harry as two patrol officers handcuffed Capra.

"We'll send his DNA to Tucson, Des Moines, and Detroit and I'm betting he's the same guy."

"Well, at least he's out of the hotel business. I can't believe any of these women would want to be near this guy."

"You know what? I'm betting it's the toads."

"Yeah, right. Toads. If it was that easy. Maybe I'll get some toads." Damon laughed as the two detectives went to the car.


	5. Good Behavior

_"Fee fi fo fum. I smell the blood of an Englishman..."_

"Hmm. Breakfast," Damon hummed as he walked into the kitchen. Emma was by the sink.

"I need some ice," Emma giggled as he wrapped his arms around her waist and kissed her neck. "It's in the freezer."

"I'm just warming up first. It's gonna be cold over there."

"You should have started this earlier."

"I think we have a problem," said Damon, opening the freezer door.

"Alright, we can go upstairs."

"With the ice. There isn't any." Damon pulled the ice bucket out of the freezer and poured the water into the sink.

"Oh no. All my blood's going to spoil!" Emma groaned as Damon's phone rang.

"Yeah? When? I'll be there in fifteen. I've got to go. Try to find somebody to fix that."

"What about breakfast?"

"I'll have to take it to go. Bye," said Damon as he grabbed a piece of toast and kissed Emma goodbye. When she heard the door shut, Emma sighed.

In fifteen minutes, Damon arrived at a house in an up-scale community. He walked in and was shocked by the scene. A man was lying on the floor with a gavel in his mouth.

"Damn shame for him to die like this. He was a great judge," said Harry.

"What time did he die?" Damon asked.

"10:20 PM."

"Any witnesses?"

"Nobody's come forward. We talked to neighbors on both sides of the street. Nobody heard anything."

"What about wife, children? Anybody live with him?"

"Judge lived alone. Wife died three years ago. No kids. Found a gun on the floor. Walter 32. Was registered to the judge. Purchased it in 1995. Had a license to carry it."

"Find any casings?"

"One. Under the chair."

"Well at least he got out one shot."

"And the bullet?"

"Nothing in the walls or ceiling."

"Our killer might have been hit. Any blood trail?"

"Plenty of blood. But it's all on the judge."

"Get an APB to all the hospitals, clinics."

"Unbelievable," said Captain LeGrange, walking into the house.

"I think this was more than just a random act of violence. There's a lot easier way to kill somebody than shove a gavel down his throat," said Damon.

"Patterson was one of the best judges we had. Worked a lot of cases. Over 30 years on the bench. Check with the most recent cases and threats. Sure, he had a lot of enemies over the years."

"Sir, we have a print," said a patrol officer.

"Let's find out who it belongs to." A few hours later, LeGrange visited Harry at his desk. "Any luck?"

"Nothing to write home about yet. We've been doing a cross check against the judge's cases and any parolees. So far we've got three released in the last six months. Lester Cambridge paroled from Powder River. Scott Teller released from Santium. And Jamale Shedder just got out of Easter."

"Any of them here in Portland?"

"All three of them. Damon's checking it out," said Harry as his phone rang. "Gilford. I'm at my computer. Send it through. Thanks."

"Got an ID on the print from the judge's house. A match from the Navy."

"One of your parolees?"

"Nope. Name's Vince Chilton. Got no record at all."

"See if you can get a match on a driver's license."

"Renewed it two months ago. Got an address here in Portland."

"Let's go."

With SWAT, Harry and Chief LeGrange searched Chilton's house and found one body. Vince Chilton. His hand was cut off.

"Vince Chilton?" LeGrange asked.

"Looks like."

"Which hand did the fingerprint come from?"

"The one that's missing."

"So our killer needed a helping hand and got it from Chilton."

"He wanted us to find him."

"Which means our killer is connected to both of them."

"Woman's watch. Wearing it back side out. Looks pretty old. Antique maybe."

"Doesn't seem like Chilton would be a guy interested by women's antique watches."

"It's engraved. To Mary. Love, Mom. Definitely not Chilton's."

"We've got to find Mary."

"Hope Mary's not connected to this."

"Maybe we can trace the watch."

"Damon knows a watch guy."

Meanwhile, Damon came home to see Emma on his lunch break. She was in the kitchen trying not to laugh as the refrigerator repairman's pants kept falling down.

"Damnit. I can't get this damn screw loose."

"How long has this been going on?" Damon asked Emma who was trying desperately not to laugh.

"Oh, for about three hours."

"Sorry, I'm going as fast as I can."

"Will you be done tonight?" Damon asked.

"What, you think I'm going to sleep here? Ah, crap. I cut my hand."

"I'll get a bandage," said Emma.

"I hate this model. It's a death trap. Look, it's trying to kill me." Damon noticed the repair man's face turn into that of a beaver.

"A beaver. That's interesting," Damon said.

"Please. Don't hurt me. Oh God." He then ran away.

"What happened? What did you do?" Emma asked, coming back into the room.

"Nothing. I guess he realized I was a Grimm."

"What do we do now?"

"Call another refrigerator company I guess." After receiving a text message from Harry, Damon called Monroe.

"What do you want now?" Monroe answered.

"Can you trace an antique watch?"

"Wow. You're actually calling me for what I do. Might have to charge you for this."

"We found one on a murder victim. I'm coming over with my partner."

"I get it. Be cool. Wear pants." A few minutes later, Damon and Harry arrived at Monroe's house.

"Good afternoon. Well, not that good if somebody died, but come on in."

"Thanks for helping us out," said Harry.

"No problem. I like helping…the police whenever I can."

"This is the watch we need to trace."

"Vintage Lucina. Very nice. I'm going to have to get in there and check a few details. Mind if I…"

"Forensics cleared it. Go ahead," said Damon.

"Value movement. 72c to be exact. Triple calendar. Wow. Pure beauty. Check it out. Triple complications. Probably made in the thirties."

"What about the engraving?"

"Professional. Could have been done by any engraver. Any time, anywhere. Oh, this is tragic."

"What?"

"Some jerk put glue in the movement. This watch is destroyed. I want to weep."

"Why would somebody do that?" Harry asked.

"To stop it from working."

"Maybe they wanted to stop it on a specific time and date."

"Glue would certainly guarantee that. 10:15 March 11."

"Any way you can tell us who the owner was?" Damon asked.

"Original movement or a service mark maybe. I'll make some calls. Whoever serviced this will definitely remember it."

"How long will that take?" Harry asked.

"A couple of minutes if they've got the paperwork. There's coffee in the kitchen. Help yourselves."

"He's a little weird, isn't he?" Harry asked Damon when they entered the kitchen.

"Why do you think Emma broke up with him?"

"Do you think March 11 has something to do with Vince Chilton?"

"Maybe or the judge."

"What about Mary? The name on the watch."

"Maybe March 11 connects all three of them together."

"Maybe all four of them killer included. But March 11th of what year?"

"Maybe we're looking at some kind of Zodiac Killer."

"Hey, I've got something here," said Monroe. "The watch was first purchased in 1933 by a Stephen Armstrong. He gave it to his wife as a wedding present."

"Who owns it now?" Damon asked.

"The watch was serviced last year here in Portland for a Mary Robinson."

"Mary Robinson?" Harry asked.

"Do you know her?" Damon questioned.

"If it's the same Mary Robinson I think it is I do. Assistant D.A.. Retired about a year ago. I worked a lot of cases with her. I've got a bad feeling about this."

"Thanks," Damon said to Monroe before leaving.

"Anytime."

A few minutes later, they arrived at Mary Robinson's house. Sergeant Chang was already there.

"Find her?" Harry asked.

"Found her body. Killer cut out her tongue and put it on the scale."

"What's the message this time? Scales of justice?" Damon asked.

"No. She's the message. Mary Robinson herself. I know who the killer is," Harry sighed. When they returned to the police station, Harry pulled out a file and they both reported back to LeGrange. "It was a triple homicide five years ago. Jack Lambert, his wife, and seven-year old daughter were abducted from their home and taken to an abandoned quarry near Tigert and tortured for two days. I'll never forget the crime scene."

"Yeah, I remember the case. Oleg Stark was a contract killer suspected of murders in Illinois, Kansas City, and Colorado," said LeGrange.

"Except this time it was personal. Jack Lambert was a business associate of Stark's who knew Stark demanded to be paid in gold. Apparently, Jack found out where Stark stashed his gold and stole it."

"It was a revenge killing."

"It's why he got sloppy. He was angry. All the other people he killed he didn't give a damn about. Stark left a gold coin behind. That's how I knew it was him. He was tried here in Portland but sentenced to a California ADX facility in Pelican Bay."

"How did he get here?"

"24 hours ago, Stark escaped," said Damon. "He was on medical transport when he got his chance. Broke the doctor's legs and beat two guards into a coma."

"And why didn't we know about this?" LeGrange asked.

"Bulletin hit California State agencies first," Damon answered. "They thought they had him trapped so they didn't go wide with it until he was long gone. This is from Stark's medical records. Convict displayed signs of congenital analgesia, a rare genetic disorder which deadens the nerve endings, making it difficult to process pain. In addition, Stark's bone structure appears abnormally dense. Which basically makes this guy very unpleasant to deal with."

"So what's Stark's connection to Judge Patterson, Vince Chilton, and Mary Robinson?"

"Judge presided over the trial. Mary Robinson prosecuted the case. Vince Chilton was the jury foreman who handed the verdict to the judge. Remember the date on the watch. 10:15. March 11. That was the moment Stark was sentenced to 300 years in prison," said Harry.

"That would mean as the arresting officer he's coming after you next."

"Let me take this bastard down."

"No. You're going into protective custody," LeGrange ordered.

"I'm not running."

"He's killed three people. I'm not about to lose a cop."

"He's killed a lot more than that!"

"I'm not going to risk it and neither are you. I understand why you want to get him. I feel the same way, but protective custody that's my call not yours."

"Once Stark escaped, he had to move fast. We need to check for stolen vehicles, assaults, and B & E's from here to the state line," said Damon.

"Then get on it."

A few minutes later, Damon started to read more of Stark's file.

"You know this guy's been shot three times and stabbed twice?" Damon asked.

"Yeah. I know."

"Harry, the captain is just doing what he thinks is right."

"What's right for him is not right for me."

"Give us 24 hours. See if we can't get it done."

"I think I've got what you're looking for," said Sergeant Chang. "68 year old man reported his car stolen from a rest stop near the California border. Perp, fitting Stark's description, drove off in a blue 92 Cadillac Coup DeVille. If that caddy's in Portland, we'll find it."

"What do you know about Stark?" Damon asked after Chang left.

"What do you mean?"

"Where's he from? Does he have any family? Maybe we can get ahead of this guy."

"You know that was one of the weird things about him. He didn't seem to be from anyplace. No record of where he was born or a family. It's like this guy just fell out of the sky."

"Found the Caddy or what's left of it," said Chang. "Blown up near a city rec facility on 20th and Belmont."

"Wait a minute. Isn't that near your old place?" Damon asked.

"I lived a block away when I worked Stark's case."

"Let's go, Damon," LeGrange said. After Damon and LeGrange visited the crime scene with no visible leads, Damon went home.

"Honey? Emma!" Damon yelled as his phone rang. It was Emma. "Hey, where are you?"

"Hey, I got someone else to fix the fridge. I'm on my home with fresh ravioli and blood. Where are you?"

"I'm in the kitchen."

"Good. Boil the water on the stove and I'll be right there."

"Will do," said Damon. After he turned the stove on a pot of water, Damon heard a noise. "Damn raccoons." Suddenly, Stark crashed through the living room window and pinned Damon against the wall. He tried to draw his gun, but Stark threw it out of his hand and threw Damon over the couch.

"Where is he? Where is he!" Stark yelled as he threw Damon across the table into the kitchen. "Where is he?" Damon grabbed a knife and slashed at him, but it had no effect.

"Damon!" Emma yelled, entering the house. She was shocked to see Damon fighting Stark.

"Run, run!" She ran into the kitchen and threw the boiling water on Stark's face. He screamed in pain. Damon shot him several times and Stark ran away.

"Damon!" Emma yelled, rushing to Damon's side.

"Call, Harry."

Later that evening, Monroe was at home having dinner when Emma called him.

"Hey, I'm actually glad you called. What? What! I'm on my way." A few minutes later, Monroe met Emma at the hospital. Even with blood, Damon hadn't been healing properly. She soon found out it was because his ribs were bruised. A vampire's healing factor took care of broken bones almost instantly, but head injuries and bruises took longer to heal.

"We'll get units posted here and outside your house around the clock," said LeGrange as Monroe talked with the doctors down the hall.

"I have a friend that's going to take me home."

"This guy won't get anywhere near you I promise."

"You know who did this?"

"We know who we're looking for. Trust me. He'll pay for what he's done."

"I know about the Hexenbeist, Peter. If you want to kill me, you're going to need more than a semi-competent witch."

"I no longer desire to have you dead since the Grimm is on our side."

"The Grimm is on _my_ side. You and I may operate the same way, but don't mistake our motives to be the same. Just stay out of my way and I'll stay out of yours."

"Point taken. I won't trouble you again, Miss Petrova."

"And tell the Verrat to stop fucking everything up with their Reapers. I already had to send one home."

"I'm sure the Reaper wasn't happy about that."

"Let's just say he now has a hearing problem."

"Emma," Damon called.

"Hey," she said, walking into the hospital room.

"Hey, where's my ravioli?"

"I spilled the water," she laughed.

"Yeah, you did. Probably saved my life. I'm sorry."

"It's not your fault."

"Yes, it is. It happened in our house. With you."

"I'll be fine. So will the house. You need to rest. I love you so much." She kissed him.

"I love you too."

"Go to sleep. I'll be back in a few hours." After she left the room, she met with Monroe in the hallway. "He wasn't human, Monroe."

"Damon tell you that?"

"No, of course not. He won't tell me. He's trying to protect me. See what you can find out. I'll be in the car."

"Who did this to you?" Monroe asked, entering Damon's room.

"He was big. And he has a rare genetic disorder that would deaden the nerves and abnormally dense bones."

"Seigbarste. Your basic ogre. You saw one here in Portland?"

"Yeah."

"Ah man. I just got a knot in my stomach. Seigbarstes are the worst. I mean fortunately they're rare but if you ever run across one, well I guess you have."

"You've dealt with one before?"

"Yeah, when I was a kid. I mean I didn't deal with him directly. He came after a neighbor of mine two doors down. Their son, Freddy, was a buddy of mine. This guy beat Freddy's dad to death in his own garage and then used his tools to…you know. Trust me. You're lucky to be alive."

"He's after Harry."

"Harry? Why?"

"He put him in prison."

"That'll do it. These guys carry grudges to the grave and usually it's your grave."

"I have to stop him."

"Good luck with that. Look at you. He already put you in the hospital and it's pretty hard to put a blutsauger in the hospital. Siegbarstes are hard to kill. Not only do they have really dense bones, they have thick skin and body odor that could stop a train."

"They're not immortal."

"No, they're not immortal, but in order to take one down, you got to get close enough to do it before they knock your block off. Unless you have Siegbarste Gift."

"What?"

"Gift. German word for poison. Which I always found weird at Christmas, but that stuff is so rare. You could search your whole life and never find it. It literally grows on the north side of trees just below the timberline in Romania or something."

"I think I have some."

"What kind of meds have they got you on, man?"

"From my great-great nephew."

"Oh."

"What's it do?"

"Calcifies their bones. Kind shatters the ogre from the inside out. The trick is getting the poison in them."

"I think I know how to do that. There's a rifle. It's made for it. I need you to get it for me."

"Um, okay he said somewhat tenuously."

"There's a trailer."

Half an hour later, Monroe drove Emma to the trailer.

"Are you sure you should be here?" Monroe asked.

"Me being at the hospital isn't going to kill the Siegbarste. And I'm not going to feel safe in my own home until I see his body for myself," said Emma, entering the trailer.

"Okay, Siegbarste Gift. Here it is." He smelled the potion. "Whoo. That's going to stick with me for a while." While Emma found some tongs, he pulled out a rifle case. He attached the barrel to the gun. "That is a big rifle."

"Watch where you point that thing," said Emma, grabbing the gun. She opened a compartment in the case and took one of the bullets and dipped it in the gift.

"Let's go. I can smell the son of a bitch. He's in the quarry. Harry's leading him there. What are you doing?" Monroe asked when they arrived at the quarry. Emma was loading the gun.

"Do you know how to use an elephant gun?"

"Well, no."

"Then you leave the shooting to me." As Harry and Stark fought, Emma aimed and shot Stark. He fell to the ground, dead. "Time to go."

Once back at the trailer, Monroe called Damon.

"It's done. Harry's okay. Me? I'll live. Yup. I'll see you." Monroe sighed and hung up. "Are you sure it's smart not telling him?"

"It's better this way. For everyone involved if Damon doesn't know all that I know," said Emma, locking up the trailer.

"Whatever you say. You're the boss."


	6. Break The Spell

_"Soon he was so in love with the witch's daughter that he could think of nothing else. He lived by the light of her eyes and gladly did whatever she asked."_

"Do you think she's prettier than me?" Adalind Schade asked Captain LeGrange at an art gallery.

"I do. But it might just be a family bias. We owned this in the 17th century and lost it during the Revolution. How are things going with Detective Gilford?" Peter asked.

"He's not interested in me."

"Maybe you need to try a little harder. He did save your life."

"Apparently, he doesn't feel right taking advantage of that."

"You know how to make yourself irresistible."

"I do, but it's going to require a little effort."

"The sooner the better. Lucky for you he had a physical recently," said Peter, handing Adalind a vial of blood.

"Why is this so important to you?"

"It's important to you too. A Grimm on the other side isn't good for either of us."

"So why am I not going after him?"

"Because you do not mess with Emma Petrova and live to tell the tale. Damon's her boy. He's off limits to all wesen. Now go fall in love with a human."

At Emma's house, Damon was trying to set up a new TV they had bought for the living room.

"Alright, try it now," Damon said after plugging in a few cables.

"It's still not working."

"Now?"

"Are you using input or output?" Suddenly, they both heard a loud splat. Their window had been egged.

"What was that?" Damon asked.

"We just got egged." Growling, Damon grabbed his gun and went outside.

"Stay inside."

"I'm coming too."

"No. Not unless you have a gun and you don't."

"One gun in the house is enough thank you very much."

"What the hell are you doing!" Damon yelled to the kids across the street. He saw then turn into beavers and run away.

"It's just kids, Damon."

"Yeah, well they egged our window."

"Come on, Damon. You probably scared them to death."

"Maybe this is a little overkill," he chuckled.

"You think?"

"Come on. Let's go back inside."

The next morning, Damon met with Monroe in a park across from a bakery they frequented.

"Two eisbiber kids egged my house last night."

"You're the monster under the bed. I think some wesen found out you're a Grimm and they're curious," Monroe explained.

"What's a wesen?"

"You know, blutbod, blutsauger, hexenbiest, jagerbar. All of us the Grimms have been trying to eradicate for centuries."

"You know I'm not like that."

"Welcome to the misunderstood crowd. Try telling people I don't eat meat. None of us have ever seen a Grimm before. You're a scary story we tell our kids. Be good or a Grimm will come cut your head off."

"So now I'm on some kind of Grimm grapevine?"

"You're big news in the Wesen world."

"It's not them I'm worried about. It's who they're going to tell and who they're going to tell."

"You got to deal with that before it gets any worse. How's it going with Emma? You tell her about the Hexenbeist yet?"

"Not quite."

"Nada? Zip? Diddly?"

"Yeah."

"I guess Grimms aren't that brave after all," said Monroe as his cellphone rang. "Excuse me a second. Monroe. Absolutely. I know it well. I think it's an E. Howard mechanism out of Boston. Yeah, I can handle that. No timepiece to big or to small. I'm sorry. Can you hold a minute? It's a gig. I've got a gig."

"I have to go anyway. Later."

"Yeah, go ahead," said Monroe, returning to his phone call. "What time? 12:30? No. Thank you. I'll see you again. Awesome."

At Emma's Exotic Spices and Tea, Emma walked into her office. She wanted to do the books today.

"Rosalee? Freddy?" She walked into her office and saw a box with a scythe stamped on the front. She opened it and saw the ear she had cut off the reaper a few weeks ago. She gasped when she saw Freddy's body behind her desk. Eerily, her phone rang. "Hello?"

"Did you get your present?"

"Where should I send the thank you note?"

"You made your point. Now we're making ours. The world is becoming more complicated."

"Only for the simple-minded."

"You are going to have to control this Grimm or get rid of him."

"What I do and how I do it are none of your concern! I left the Family years ago! You have a problem, you call Peter, he comes to me! That's how it's always been!"

"I speak for the Verrat and I have a different opinion. Things are getting out of balance."

"Next time, you might want to deliver your message in person."

"Next time, we will." The call disconnected and Emma went to Freddy's body.

"Wait a minute. Reapers don't kill with bullets." Emma immediately called the police. Someone else had been inside her shop. A few minutes later, Damon arrived with his partner. After giving her statement, Emma had left to check on Rosalee.

"He was shot at close range. There's powder burns on his clothing. And it looks like he took a bite out of his killer," said Damon.

"Why kill an employee of a tea and spice shop?" Harry asked.

"Check out the basement," said Damon.

"Awful lot of herbs and spices. Who knows what all this stuff is."

"Emma will know. I'll have her check the stuff out." When they returned to the station, Emma was there waiting with a brunette.

"This is Rosalee. She's one of my employees and she's Freddy's sister."

"Have a seat," Damon said.

"Who killed him?" Rosalee demanded.

"We don't know yet."

"What do you know?" Rosalee asked.

"He was killed in an apparent robbery. Since no money was taken, we assume something was taken in the shop. He was able to set off the emergency alarm so we don't know if they got what they were after."

"I want to bury my brother. What do I have to do to get that done? I'd like to go to the shop. Can I go do that?"

"Well, we are done with our investigation. One of us will have to go with you until we know forensics are done."

A few minutes later, Damon, Emma, and Rosalee arrived at the spice shop. Rosalee looked at a blood stain on the carpet.

"We don't know if that's all your brother's blood. He might have taken a bite out of the killer," said Damon as he noticed her change into a fox.

"Oh my God," Rosalee whispered, seeing Damon notice her.

"I didn't kill your brother."

"Rosalee, he's not going to hurt you," Emma added.

"You're not at all what I expected. If you find out anything."

"I'll call you." Rosalee nodded and left the shop. Emma and Damon walked downstairs to the basement to see if anything was missing.

"This box was open," said Damon.

"Looks like J."

"J?"

"It's derived from jaceen. It's kind of like a mold. It's lethal to most of humanity, but it has an opiate effect on wesen. Used correctly it's an incredible pain-killer. But if it's used for recreational purposes it's like meth mixed with rat poison and helium. It's highly addictive. It's terrible for your liver and not so good for your brain either. Of course if you had a brain you wouldn't be using the stuff in the first place. I bet you whoever broke in here and killed Freddy was trying to get their hands on this stuff."

Later that night, Damon stopped by a house. He had tracked down the people who had been spying on his house. He knocked on the door and when a man answered the door, he dropped his beer, noticing Damon.

"Well, if you can't hold your liquor, you shouldn't be drinking," Damon joked.

"What do you want from me? What are you doing here?"

"I'm here to ask you the same thing. Why are you and your buddies watching my house? Just breathe. Come on, breathe!" Damon said, noticing the man hyper-ventilating.

"None of us have ever seen a Grimm before."

"Where'd you hear about me and where I live?"

"Hey, doofus. Where's the beer?" Damon turned to see the refrigerator repair man he had scared away.

"You!"

"Oh my God! I have three kids."

"You're the one who started all this."

"No. Well, yes, sort of, but I didn't mean anything. It's just nobody believed me. I didn't know how else to prove you're a…you have a very lovely wife."

"We're not married."

"Even better."

"Please. You don't have to kill us."

"I'm not going to kill anyone."

"Really? Good. That's good."

"Unless they threaten me or my girlfriend."

"No. We would never do that. Never. Ever."

"How many Wesen have you told?"

"Nobody. Hardly anyone. Maybe just a couple of neighbors."

"Alright, here's what you're going to do. You're going to make sure whoever you've told and whoever they've told never come to my house again."

"We can do that."

"I hope so because I'd hate to have to come back here."

"You won't have to do that. But you're always welcome anytime."

"Good. Then we understand each other. I'd hate to sully my taste buds with beaver blood."

When Damon got home that night, Rosalee called him on his cell.

"I was at the shop and two men broke in while I was there," Rosalee said.

"You okay?"

"Yes. I'm fine. I'm scared, but I'm fine. I'm at my brother's house."

"Are you safe there?"

"I think so."

"Can you identify the man who broke in?"

"It was Joshua Hall and Clint Vickers. I know them from when I was on drugs, before I cleaned up my act. Is Emma there?"

"Yeah."

"Rosalee, are you okay?" Emma asked after taking the phone.

"I'm fine. They were skalengecks, Emma."

"Great," Emma moaned.

The next morning, Damon and Harry were at the police station trying to dig up a lead on where Hall and Vickers might be.

"Cookie. Did you bring enough for everyone?" asked Sergeant Chang, noticing a cookie given to Harry by Adalind Schade on his desk. "My mother made the best cookies on the block. She shared them with everyone and they loved her for it. Alright. I'll go cookie-less. We've got a vehicle ID for Clint Vickers. I've got a patrol car on the street, watching the car."

"I need you to go to the spice shop. Keep an eye on things. Harry and I will check out the car," said Damon. When Harry left, Chang took the cookie. Meanwhile at city hall, Monroe was waiting for his appointment when he was attacked by a group of Wesen. A half an hour later, he woke up and saw a scythe symbol written in blood on his car.

Later that day, Damon and Harry caught the two suspects of Freddy's killing in an old abandoned building while Chang checked up on Emma and Rosalee at the spice shop.

"Hey, I'm supposed to uh…um, come down and make sure…"

"Chang, you don't look so good. Are you alright?" Emma asked.

"Yeah. Never better." He then collapsed.

"Oh my God," said Emma as she noticed pustules grow on Chang's face. While Emma pulled Chang onto the table, Rosalee called Damon.

"Yeah?" he answered.

"We have a serious problem. This cop you sent here is in really bad shape. He just walked in and collapsed. His whole face just looks like a volcano about to explode. Emma says there's only one way to deal with this and it is definitely not standard medical practice. You've got to get down here…fast."

A few minutes later, Emma was mixing up a bowl of ingredients while Rosalee searched the shelves.

"I can't find the cayenne extract," Rosalee said.

"Top shelf, corner." When Rosalee handed her the bottle, Emma poured its whole contents into the mixing bowl.

"All of it?"

"He'll need it," said Emma as Damon entered the room.

"He needs to go to a hospital."

"They won't treat it properly. They'll think it's one of those mystery infections and he'll die. I've seen this before. Hold him down! Open his mouth." They then force-fed Chang the potion and covered his face with a black cloth.

"How much longer?" Damon asked after a half-hour.

"His pulse has calmed down. Let's take a look." The pustules had vanished from Chang's face. "I think it worked. He's going to sleep for quite awhile. We should take him back to his apartment."

"You said you'd seen this before."

"Yeah. You remember Sage?"

"Oh, I remember Sage."

"She came into a shop I owned in England with the same symptoms. She had ingested a Zaubertrank meant for somebody else."

"Zaubertrank? Those can be nasty," Rosalee said.

"What is it?" Damon asked.

"Primitive, antediluvian, psuedopsychological concoctions meant to mess with your head," Emma explained. "It causes obsessive behavior. If the right person takes it, it creates a deep, emotional response, but if the wrong person takes it, this happens. I think we caught it in time."

After Damon dropped Chang at home, he stopped by Monroe's place. Damon noticed multiple cuts and abrasions on Monroe's face when he answered the door.

"What happened to you?" Damon asked.

"Funny you should ask. You happened to me. Get in here."

"Who did this to you?"

"I don't know."

"I can track them down."

"Look, I don't know who these guys were. All I know is if they wanted me dead, I'd be dead. I can only imagine they were sending me some kind of message. You know what that means?"

"Reapers."

"You start messing with the status quo and there might be some people who aren't exactly happy about that. And what I'm doing with you is definitely messing with the status quo."

"I'm not going to ask for anymore of your help."

"Screw that. I'm not running. You ask me for all the help you need. I've never been much of a status quo kind of guy. And next time we'll be ready for them."


	7. Russian Roulette

_"Forgive me for the evil I have done you; my mother drove me to it; it was done against my will."_

"I can't believe he didn't say anything. Don't you guys talk about anything other than work?" Emma asked as she walked with Damon down the street to a French restaurant.

"Yeah, sure we do. Harry lost 80 dollars on the Blazer's game last week and got very emotional."

"He didn't even mention her name?"

"Not to me. You're the one that set this up. He didn't say anything to you either."

"I didn't set it up. He set it up and he's very excited. He didn't say anything."

"You think he'd at least mention the money he'd lost," Damon said as they entered the restaurant. Harry met them at the bar.

"Hey, guys. Damon, you remember Adalind." Emma looked at Damon shocked.

"Nice to see you again," Adalind greeted. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Emma."

"Likewise," Emma said tersely. When they went to dinner, Adalind excused herself to the bathroom and Damon went to get a drink. Unknown to both Emma and Harry, Damon followed Adalind.

"What the hell are you doing?" Damon asked Adalind once he cornered her in the hallway.

"Falling in love. I didn't know that was against the law."

"I will only say this once. You stay out of his life. I hope you're listening."

"Did it ever occur to you that this is exactly what it looks like?"

"No. Never. You're a liar. I'm not going to let this happen."

"Try and stop it."

Meanwhile, across town, Peter LeGrange arrived at Karen Schade's house.

"I was afraid you weren't coming," said Karen.

"I was held up."

"Everything okay?"

"Why?"

"You have the smell of violence."

"And you have a problem with that?"

"I never have. Come inside. If Adalind does this, my debt is paid."

"Yes."

"And if she doesn't? Just kidding. But I'm disappointed."

"About what?"

"You used to be a lot more fun."

"I can still be fun if I want to. Right now there's too much riding on this. I need you to make sure this ends up the way it has to."

"Well, it's a good thing you came to a pro."

"Sometimes Adalind has a mind of her own. I don't want any mistakes, Karen."

"What happens when you find the key?"

"Those who help will be remembered and rewarded. And those who don't will be forgotten."

About an hour later, Karen snuck into her daughter's apartment. A few minutes later, Adalind arrived.

"Mom?" Adalind asked.

"Hello, precious. I hope you don't mind. I let myself in."

"You're lucky I didn't rip your throat out."

"As if you could have," Karen said as they hugged. "I hear you got yourself a new beau."

"It's not like that. I'm working."

"Of course you are. The Captain?"

"Yes."

"Then you better make sure everything goes the way he wants."

"I am, Mom."

"You still love him, don't you?"

"What difference does that make?"

"I taught you well."

"There's one more thing. My new beau is the partner of the Grimm."

"Then this is about more than just the partner."

"This is about getting the key."

"You're really going all the way on this one."

"All I know is that this is going to get ugly."

"Don't worry. You do ugly so well."

The next day, Damon was at Monroe's house, venting.

"You should have killed her when you had the chance," said Monroe.

"You're telling me?"

"So just warn him off her, dude."

"I've tried. He won't listen to anything I have to say about her. Plus, how do you tell your partner he's dating a witch?"

"You mean so he doesn't hate you? Not easy. This isn't normal. You don't date a hexenbeist lightly. And you break up with one at your own peril."

"Could she have done something to him?"

"Hell yeah. That's what they do. Looks like someone took a bite out of the wrong apple. They have some seriously potent concoctions that can mess with your brain chemistry."

"Well, that would explain it."

"Emma would know more about it than me."

"She's at the shop. Let's go."

A few minutes later, Damon told Emma about his suspicions at the spice shop.

"Look through these books. I'll check the sales books. See if she's been here," said Emma.

"How many of these Zaubertrunk are there?" Monroe asked.

"Zaubertrunk means potion, right?" Damon asked.

"Yeah," Monroe answered.

"Wouldn't it just be easier to say potion?"

"Yeah."

"Then why don't you just say that?"

"Because it's so much more than that."

"I've got something. A shopping list. Oh no," Emma murmured.

"What?" Damon asked.

"These are three ingredients of a really dangerous recipe."

"How dangerous?"

"From deeply in love to deeply dead," Emma muttered.

"How do we cure it?"

"I'm not sure we can. It depends on how far the emotional and physical relationship has gone. Too far and he's…"

"Toast?" Monroe suggested.

"Yeah."

"We have to do something."

"There might be an antidote, but it'll take me awhile to find it. First, I have to find which Zaubertrunk uses this recipe." Several hours later, Emma found the recipe. "I found it. I found it. Monroe, wake up. Mort de l'amour."

"Death for love." Monroe immediately called Damon. "Hey, it's Monroe. You need to get down here. If Harry's taken, what we think he's taken he is knocking on heaven's door."

"The ingredients on the list are part of an obsession formula," said Emma once Damon arrived. "This spell is designed to cause obsessive behavior. The obsession becomes so great that the brain overloads and the body literally shuts down. It would explain what happened to Chang. His fever and lesions suggest that he got some of the Zaubertrunk meant for Harry."

"I thought you cured Chang?" Damon asked.

"I just treated his symptoms."

"Could it explain eating coins, paper clips, buttons?"

"Yes."

"How do we stop this?"

"There's an antidote."

"If this works on Chang, it could cure Harry?"

"It should. I have all the ingredients. I just have to mix it."

"Let's do it." A few minutes later, Emma mixed all the ingredients together.

"How do we get it in him?" Damon asked, looking at the blue concoction.

"With a nesufle. You put these prongs into the victim's nostril and push down on the plunger."

"I don't know Harry all that well, but how the hell are you going to convince him this is something good for him?" Monroe asked.

"Let's just see if it works first," Damon said. When they arrived at Chang's house, they pinned him to the ground.

"Hold him down!" Emma yelled as she injected him. His whole body suddenly turned red.

"Is that supposed to happen?" Monroe asked.

"I hope so."

"How long does this last?" Damon asked.

"I don't know," Emma said as Chang's color returned back to normal and he woke up.

"Where'd you guys come from? Is this a dream? Why am I in my underwear? This is a little embarrassing," said Chang.

"I think it worked," said Emma as Chang ran out of the room.

"Yeah and fast," said Monroe.

"Time to get it to Harry. He's at Adalind's for a date."

When they arrived at Adalind's apartment, they found Harry in Adalind's bed. Adalind was nowhere to be found.

"Harry? Harry, it's Damon. He's still alive. Why is he unconscious?" Emma opened his closed eyes and saw red irises.

"Oh my God. She altered the zaubertrunk. He's still alive, but the antidote is useless now."

"It worked on Chang," Monroe protested.

"He didn't have sex with her."

"Oh. That always complicates things."

"He's in a coma, but it's not physical. It's mental. It's like his brain is locked."

"There's got to be a way to fix this," Damon said.

"Possibly if she used her own blood."

"What difference does that make?"

"The only way you can stop a blood zaubertrunk is by killing the hexenbeist whose blood is in it."

"I don't have a problem with that," said Damon as his phone rang. "Salvatore."

"Hello, Damon."

"Adalind."

"I just wanted to invite you to my place for a little dessert."

"I'm already there."

"Then you found Harry. Good. Still sleeping peacefully I hope."

"Where are you?"

"This is the way it's going to go, Damon. Harry will be dead by morning unless I get the key. So you better bring that key to the Bremen Ruins as soon as you can. I have a very busy schedule and I can't wait all the night. It's really very simple, Damon. The key or Harry." Damon knew what key she was talking about. He had discovered the pendant that Emma had given him turned into a key.

"Damon, you can't kill her," said Emma.

"Yes, I can."

"It's not that simple. The only way you can break the hold she has on Harry is with the blood of a Grimm, with your blood."

Using super speed, Damon arrived at the Bremen Ruins where Adalind was waiting.

"I hope you brought the key, Damon. Harry doesn't have much time," she said.

"Sorry. I don't respond well to threats." He sped to Adalind, bit his wrist, and force-fed his blood down her throat.

"What have you done?" Adalind asked as Damon watched her hexenbeist spirit evaporate. "You turned me into a human. You took everything away from me. I'm just like everybody else. I'm nothing."

Once Adalind left and Damon received a phone call that Harry had woken up and was fine, he began to walk toward his car. However, his trip was cut short when he encountered two reapers. One attacked him and Damon ducked his blade, which ended up beheading the other reaper. Pulling out his gun, Damon shot another in the chest, killing him. Looking at the bodies, Damon called Emma.

"You need to come out here to the cemetery. Bring a shovel." A few minutes later, Emma arrived with a shovel.

"You sure know how to show a girl a good time." She then saw the reapers. "Damn. You took out two Reapers? Impressive."

"They're just going to keep coming til I'm dead, aren't they?"

"Well, there's a reason they're called Grimm Reapers."

"I need to send them a message."

"I think you do too. And you know what? When it comes to sending these guys messages two heads are better than one," said Emma as she beheaded the second reaper.

The next week, in Germany, a reaper opened a box, which contained two reaper heads. Next to the heads was a note. It read _Next time, send your best._


	8. Hard To See

_"He stripped off his skin and tossed it into the fire and he was in human form again."_

Late Monday night, Damon was in the trailer reading through some wesen material when Emma called him.

"Hey, honey. Am I late? What? No. Stay there. Don't touch anything. I'm on my way." A few minutes later, he arrived at the national forest. "Hey, you okay?"

"I'm fine," said Emma, looking at a body in the woods.

"These wounds look like they were made by an animal," Harry said.

"Maybe a wolf, but look at the footprints. Definitely human," said Damon.

"The answer's obvious. These wounds were carried out by a barefoot man carrying a wolf," said Sergeant Chang sarcastically.

"What kind of man could do all this? I think the forest service takes this one," said Harry.

"Let's get some dogs out here. Try to track it."

"Guys, I've got a camcorder over here," said Chang. They looked at the video and saw a man on it.

The next morning, Damon received a call from Emma.

"I need or more specifically Monroe needs your help," Emma said.

"What's the problem?"

"He may have Big Foot on his couch."

"I'll be there as soon as I can." A half-hour later, Damon walked into Monroe's house.

"Meet Larry, Damon," said Emma, stitching up a man's leg while Monroe paced the room.

"I would have just called a hospital, but he's not really in an unexplainable condition. I've never seen anything like this before," said Monroe.

"You mean anyone can see him like this?"

"That's why I didn't 911 it."

"Why doesn't he just…"

"Woged? I don't think he can."

"What'd you just say?"

"Woged. It literally translates to the wave that overtakes one, the change, the surge, the massive hormonal jolt," said Emma.

"Okay so why doesn't he woged or is it de-woged?"

"Just woged. I don't think he's controlling it. He's stuck. Half-in, half out," Monroe explained.

"That would explain the Big Foot."

"In his case yes."

"Monroe, your friend killed two people last night."

"Damon, I know this guy. He is no killer," said Emma.

"Look a few of us meet at the Helvatia Tavern. It's like an informal support group. We all have trouble controlling our various urges," Monroe added.

"Well it looks like Larry lost the battle."

"Maybe, but this doesn't make sense. Larry's a very chill dude. Last I heard he was even seeing Brinkerhoff."

"Who's Brinkerhoff?"

"Constantine Brinkerhoff. He's a therapist. Specializes in identity issues and impulse control for those of us who need a little extra guidance. I think he just wrote a book about confronting the inner man."

"A Wesen therapist."

"We have issues too you know. A lot bigger than teenage angst insecurity." Suddenly, Monroe smelled something.

"What?" Emma asked.

"You guys aren't using search dogs are you?"

"Yeah. We are. Why do you ask?" Damon asked.

"They're here. That's great. All that's missing are the townspeople with torches and pitch forks."

"Those dogs are going to lead them straight to your house."

"No, they're not. There's a reason I mark my territory. It'll totally freak them out."

"It's freaking me out."

"This is the opportunity we need."

"Opportunity to do what? Monroe, if they find out Larry's in your house…" Emma trailed off, not even wanting to think of the possibility.

"They're not going to find Larry. Help me get his shirt off."

"What are we doing?" Damon asked.

"No reason the trail has to end here."

"Monroe, that's not a good idea," said Emma.

"Well you know what's a worse idea? Them finding you, Damon, and I here with Larry looking like that. Do you know what people do to things they can't explain? I don't want my house torched. I don't want crosses burned on my front yard. This is how legends wind up killing innocent people."

Monroe ran out of the house wearing Larry's shirt. The dogs chased him, the cops close behind. He stopped in the bushes and roared at the dogs, scaring them away. Harry looked around, pulled out his gun, and walked into the bushes. Monroe ran into him, wolfing out. Harry saw him and Monroe immediately ran back home.

"You okay?" Emma asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine. I don't know about Harry."

"What happened?" Damon asked.

"Remember when I told you about how we can seen when we want to be seen? Well, the dogs were on me so I dealt with them, but I kind of ran into Harry."

"He saw you as a Blutbod!"

"Only for a second and I was wearing Larry's shirt. Larry, behind you."

"Get it out. Please. I didn't mean to," Harry pleaded weakly. "I didn't want to. I tried to stop." Gorily, he ripped into his neck, pulled out a device and collapsed, dead.

"He's dead. I'm sorry, Monroe," said Emma after feeling his pulse.

"What do we do?" Monroe asked.

"We can't leave him here. I don't want you tied to this. We have to move the body," said Damon. After they placed Larry's body in the woods, Damon went off to pay a visit to Brinkerhoff. He had a sneaking suspicion Brinkerhoff had something to do with this.

"I heard rumors that someone like you was here, but one hears many rumors in a psychiatric practice," said Brinkerhoff as they entered his office. "You know you're hated and feared by Wesen. It's interesting you chose to join the police."

"I need to ask you about Larry MacKenzie."

"Does your partner know?"

"If you don't mind, I'll ask the questions."

"Sorry. It's in my nature to be inquisitive. I can't speak about specific patients as you're a detective."

"Right now I'm not asking you as a detective. We can do this the hard way or the easy way."

"Mr. Mackenzie was struggling with issues of impulse control."

"Any violence?"

"No more than normal…"

"And your treatment consisted of?"

"Twice weekly cognitive visits. He was making great strides."

"Any drugs?"

"Wesen Prozac doesn't exist. Everyone wants a quick fix, but with issues of identity the slow way is the fast way. There are no shortcuts."

After leaving Brinkerhoff's office, Damon received a call that the police had located Larry's body and the news that another attack had happened after Larry had passed.

"Looks a lot like what happened to the other two," said Damon to Harry when he arrived at the site.

"Well we found MacKenzie's body. A copy cat?" Harry suggested.

"There's something on his neck." They saw the device.

"Looks like what MacKenzie had," said Harry as Damon's phone rang.

"Yeah?"

"Damon, it's me," said Emma. "Monroe and I just talked to a mutual friend of ours who knew Larry. He said there were two other guys who went to Brinkerhoff with him. Dan Murray and Alan Evercroft."

"Whoa. Did you say Alan Evercroft?"

"Yeah, him and Dan Murray."

"Alan Evercroft was killed last night."

"What?"

"We found him at the crime scene. He had the same type of pump in his body."

"That is not good. I just found out Brinkerhoff sold Larry on some kind of miracle cure."

"What about the other guy?"

"Dan Murray. I'll give him a call. Whatever Brinkerhoff gave these guys is definitely not helping."

"We're working on connecting him to the pumps, but even if we do those ingredients in the pumps are not illegal."

"Doesn't mean they're not bad for us."

"I'll call you when I know something." When Damon returned to the police station, he received a text from Emma about Dan Murray's fate.

"Dan Murray apparently killed himself by jumping out of a 3rd story window. They found a drug pump in his neck," said Damon to Harry.

"Just got a call back from the pump company. Four pumps were ordered by Constantine Brinkerhoff."

"We better find out where the fourth one is." That night, Harry and Damon broke into Brinkerhoff's office.

"Brinkerhoff, Police!" However, they only saw Monroe on the floor, Emma trying to help him up.

"You okay?"

"Yeah. You've got to stop Brinkerhoff. He's on the drug," said Emma.

"He's on the street," Monroe added.

"What are they doing here?" Harry asked.

"Monroe's a patient." Quickly, they exited the building and pursued Brinkerhoff to a gala event where everyone saw Brinkerhoff in his true form. Brinkerhoff came up behind Damon, but Harry shot him and saw Brinkerhoff change into a human.

"What the hell?" Harry murmured.

"That's Dr. Brinkerhoff," Damon said.

"No. Did you see it?"

"See what?"

"His face. It changed. It was different."

"Harry."

"I saw him. It was different."


	9. Miss Murder

_"It shall not be death, but a sleep of a hundred years, into which the princess shall fall."_

It was a cold morning in Portland when Damon met Monroe at a coffee shop downtown.

"He's not himself," said Damon, concerned about Harry's current state of mind. "He's been acting weird. I'm just worried about him after what he saw. "

"Has he said anything?" Monroe asked.

"No. I can tell something's not right."

"Harry's got to be shook up about this in some way whether he's talking about it or not. When I saw him looking up at me, he was freaked. And it's a look I've seen before. I'm sure you're hoping it'll just go away, but this is not like your ordinary nightmare. He knows he was awake. And his brain is trying to process the unprocessable. What did you think when you first saw someone woged?"

"Well, considering I'm over a century old, I didn't completely freak out but I still thought I was maybe going a little crazy. Like everything I had seen was starting to get to me."

"Harry's probably going through the same thing."

"With you it was one thing. He was hit, knocked down, dazed, but he saw Brinkerhoff change."

"That is so not going to make it easier. Mental hospitals are chock full of people who have spent their lives trying to wrap their mind around things they've seen or can't explain."

"Great."

"But with Harry maybe it'll be different. He's a cop. He's already seen a bunch of crazy stuff. With any luck it'll wear off in a couple, three years."

Meanwhile, at Emma's spice shop, Adalind Schade had shuffled her cat, which had been fed a special concoction, through the back door. Smirking, Adalind walked into the alley behind the shop and disappeared. A few minutes later, Emma walked into the shop with Rosalee.

"Rosalee, could you open up the register today? I want to run inventory," said Emma as she placed her coat on the coat rack by the front door.

"Sure."

"Thanks." Emma walked into the back of the shop and saw Adalind's cat.

"Well, how did you get in here? Hey, Rosalee! How did Adalind's cat get in here! Did you forget to lock the back door again?" Emma asked, recognizing the cat. As she went to pick up the cat, it hissed and scratched her hand. "Ow. I knew there was a reason I hated cats, especially Hexenbeists' cats." Suddenly, Emma grew groggy and collapsed onto the floor. Having heard the commotion in the back, Rosalee came in.

"Emma? Oh my God! Emma!" Rosalee rushed to Emma's side and tried to wake her. Her efforts useless, Rosalee called 911 and then Damon. A few minutes later, Monroe and Damon met Rosalee at the hospital. Emma was in intensive care. Her cat scratch hadn't healed and she appeared to be in a coma.

"What the hell happened?" Damon asked Rosalee.

"Emma and I were opening up the shop and Emma went to do inventory. I heard her mentioning something about Adalind's cat being in the back. I heard a loud noise. I went into the back and Emma was collapsed on the floor. She had a cat scratch on her hand and the cat was up on one of the shelves, hissing," Rosalee explained.

"I know you're hoping the doctors can do something, but you saw what happened to Harry, you saw what happened to your Sergeant. We've got to get our hands on that cat," said Monroe.

"Detective Salvatore?" a doctor asked, coming out of Emma's room.

"Yeah."

"We have her stabilized. If this is an infectious disease, she'll need to stay quarantined. Normally cat scratches are not that dangerous so there may be something else going on here. The tests are going to take quite a while to run. There's nothing you can do here for now. I suggest you go home. As soon as we know something we'll call you." Damon nodded as the doctor walked back in to Emma's room.

"Listen, Damon. I know you want to stay here with Emma…"

"But it's not going to help her. Let's find that cat."

"It's still in the shop. I made sure it stayed there when she collapsed," Rosalee said before they left.

When they arrived at the shop, Rosalee pulled out a pet carrier she had used to confine the cat. The cat was hissing and screaming.

"Man, we need to knock this thing out," Monroe said. "If you don't have any herbs or drugs, a two by four would be fine by me."

"You think you can figure out what this is?" Damon asked Rosalee.

"I'll do my best. Emma's really the herbs expert, but I've learned a thing or two from her. First, I'm going to test the cat's claws. If I can't get it from the claws, I'm going to have to get into Emma's room."

"Where are you going?" Monroe asked, seeing Damon head for the door.

"I'm going to find Adalind…and quite possibly eat her."

A few minutes later, Rosalee mixed together a potion to knock the cat out.

"You sure this is going to knock that feline out?" Monroe asked.

"It won't knock it out. It'll paralyze it for about thirty minutes. That'll give us enough time to check its claws and saliva. Lift the cover." Rosalee then placed the steaming concoction by the cat's cage, allowing the steam to reach the feline's lungs.

When Damon returned home, his search for Adalind unsuccessful, he saw a woman dressed in black rummaging through his and Emma's belongings.

"Hey! What are you doing in my house!" Damon yelled. The woman turned around and Damon was shocked by who he saw. "Mom?"


	10. Maria

_"The blood-dimmed tide is loosed, and everywhere the ceremony of innocence is drowned…"_

"How?" Damon asked.

"It seems you were turned as well," Mary Salvatore smiled.

"You're a vampire."

"And so are you."

"Where have you been? How…the police said it was you who died in the carriage. Who took your place?"

"My friend. Gina Seraphino."

"Why was she there?"

"I needed to run from your father. The reapers were coming for me. I sent Gina away in the carriage while I escaped on horseback. They thought I was in the carriage. They didn't know what I looked like. They assumed Gina was Mary Salvatore. Emmalyne Petrova helped me escape. She even turned me."

"Emma?"

"Yes. She never wanted to tell you. She's been ashamed of it for years."

"All this time you've been alive…undead."

"It was safer for you and your brother."

"You know about Stefan, right?"

"That that bastard Klaus killed him? Yes. Although I can't say I'm surprised you managed to walk away from a battle with an Original. You always were the strongest."

Meanwhile, at the spice shop, Rosalee checked on the cat. He was much calmer than before.

"Looks pretty quiet in there," said Monroe. "Cats don't like play possum do they?"

"Not with what I gave it. Okay. Bring me the cat." Monroe pulled the cat out of its cage and Rosalee dipped its paw in some solution.

"What's supposed to happen?"

"If it turns yellow, I'll have a good idea of what the toxin was. If it turns green, there's still a chance we can help her," said Rosalee as the solution turned blue.

"What about blue?"

"We have to talk to Damon now!" A few minutes later, Monroe walked into Damon's house with Rosalee.

"Hey, we tried calling. What's that smell?" Monroe asked. Suddenly, Mary attacked Monroe.

"Stop. Don't hurt him. His name's Monroe," said Damon, separating his mother from his friend.

"He's a Blutbod."

"And Rosalee's a Fuchsbau. They're both my friends."

"Who the hell is this bitch?" Monroe asked.

"She's my mother."

"What? Dude, you told me she was…I mean isn't she supposed to be like not so alive."

"That's what I thought."

"I can't believe this. You're friends with them?" Mary asked.

"Hey, it took a little getting used to for us too. Did you know she was coming?" Monroe asked.

"Emma is in real danger, Damon. We don't have much time," Rosalee said.

"What's wrong with Emmalyne?" Mary asked.

"She's in a coma because of a curse from a hexenbeist," Monroe explained. "The spell is called Spirit Elsewhere. It causes memory loss with symptoms similar to dementia. It's imperative that we stop the progression, like now."

"All the ingredients are cooking, but it takes 15 hours for it to be ready," Rosalee added.

"Will it bring her out of the coma?" Damon asked.

"It's way more complicated. Our first step is to just stop the memory loss."

"Do whatever you have to."

"And sort of nice to meet you," said Monroe before heading for the foyer with Rosalee. "Dude, I've got to be honest your mother scares the crap out of me."

"You two should keep your distance until I figure out what I'm dealing with here," said Damon.

At the hospital, Peter LeGrange had heard about Emma's collapse. He entered her room and opened her eyes. They were black.

"Damn you, Adalind."

Back at Damon's house, Mary looked at a picture of Emma and Damon together.

"How long have you been together?" Mary asked.

"Where have you been for 160 years?" Damon countered, taking the picture away from her.

"In more places than I care to remember."

"Why don't you try?"

"I was going after the reapers trying to kill them all. They're hard to find. I've had to fight the seven royal families who are trying to regain control over the wesen. A lot of the turmoil in the world today is instigated by their agents."

"Like the Verrat?"

"You're learning. That's good. I wish I could have been the one who taught you. I needed to see Emma about some coins. If a human or other wesen possesses them, insatiable greed overtakes them."

"The Coins of Zakynthos?"

"Yeah."

"I have them."

"They need to be destroyed. The sooner, the better."

Across town, Karen Schade heard a banging at her door. She opened the door and Peter burst in.

"Where's Adalind?"

"Why would you think I'd know where she is?"

"You're her mother."

"That's a little old school even for you."

"She's gone. She played one last little trick. She put Damon's girlfriend in a coma."

"And I care about that why?"

"Because it concerns me."

"Can you really blame Adalind after what he did to her?"

"Yes! She should stay out of things she does not understand."

"Well maybe you played with her heart a little too freely and that confused her."

"She knew exactly what she was doing."

"Why do you care what happens to Detective Salvatore's girlfriend?"

"Because she ties him here, to Portland, to me. For God's sake, Karen, it's Emmalyne Petrova! I need to know what Adalind did. A Grimm on his own is dangerous for all of us and I'm holding you personally responsible. And believe me, you don't want that."

The next morning, Damon walked down the stairs to the smell of pancakes and burnt toast.

"I made you breakfast."

"Thanks, but I'll pass." Damon reached into the fridge for some blood. "I need to take you somewhere." Half an hour later, they arrived at the trailer.

"Emma took good care of this," said Mary, astonished at the trailer's good condition.

"What did you think about this when you learned…"

"I was only ten years old," said Mary as they entered the trailer, "Your grandfather told me and when the nightmares started, he put me right in the middle of it, wanted me to know what I was up against. I was so scared I didn't sleep for months. When I was eighteen, he took my sister and I on hunts. We spent hours pouring over these books. I never wanted this for you."

"It's not like you had much of a choice. Let me show you the coins." He pulled them out of a drawer. "Now what?"

"We return them to the isle of Zakynthos where they were forged. It's the only way to destroy them."

"So I guess you'll be leaving. You know, I have seen a lot of things, but yet I can't judge the decisions you've had to make, but I just wish I hadn't had to grow up without you."

"So do I," said Mary as they hugged.

"Can you help me with something?"

"What is it?"

"I got a call this morning. A new case for the police I'm working on with the FBI. Take a look at this." He showed her a picture of a reaper symbol painted in blood on a metal wall.

"Where is this?"

"A container on a cargo ship that left France a month ago."

"Do you know what the scythe means?"

"Reapers."

"And you've dealt with one?"

"Two."

"Was one of them French?"

"We didn't do too much talking."

"Then you were the one who returned the heads to Mannheim."

"You know about that?"

"News travels fast."

"I don't think these wounds are reapers," said Damon, showing her another picture of a wounded man.

"No. It's something else. And if it's what I think it is, it's worse than reapers. I hope I'm wrong about this. Are there any puncture wounds?"

"There were a lot of wounds."

"We need to go."

"What about the coins?"

"Just put them away. I need to see the bodies."

When they arrived at the morgue, Mary looked at a puncture wound on the neck of one of the victims.

"You know what this is?"

"Something with teeth this big? There aren't a lot of choices. Mauvais Dentes. It's a vicious killing machine. One of them can wipe out an entire village. You better be careful. Mauvais Dentes is like a cat. He'll watch, he'll wait. If he figures out you're coming after him, he'll do something to draw you in," said Mary as Damon's phone rang.

"Yeah?" he answered.

"Hey, Rosalee and I are in the shop," said Monroe on the other line. "Weird thing just happened."

"I just got an order from a Hexenbeist," said Rosalee, taking the phone. "And the things on her list are the same ingredients we're using for Emma. It's a wake-up potion for someone in Emma's condition. We thought we should tell you."

"Who was it?" Damon asked.

"I don't know her name, but she gave me her number. It's 503-555-0138."

"I'll track her."

At the police station, Peter received a phone call from Karen.

"What did you find out?" Peter asked when he answered the phone.

"Adalind's gone. I don't know where. Obviously, she doesn't want anyone to find her, but there may be a way to reverse what she's done to Emma."

"Good then do it."

"It's not the preparation that concerns me. It's how it's given to her."

"What do you need?"

"Not what, who."

"What are you talking about?"

"How badly do you want to wake this Sleeping Beauty up?" When Karen hung up, Damon burst into the house. Karen transformed, screaming.

"Right. Hexenbeist. Where's Adalind? Where's your daughter?"

"You're the Grimm that destroyed her."

"And I'm the Grimm that's going to destroy you if you don't tell me where she is."

"I don't know! We haven't spoken since that night. Don't you need a warrant to be doing this, Detective?"

"If I was here as a cop, yeah."

"She is not here. I have no reason to protect her anymore."

"Well then find her or things are going to get dangerous for you."

"Are you threatening me?"

"I'm sorry. I must have done it badly. I thought I was pretty obvious. I've got over a hundred years on you, little girl. Let me make myself crystal clear. If Emma dies, you're done." Damon then walked out of the house to his car where his mother was waiting. "She said she doesn't know where Adalind is."

"You threaten to kill her?"

"Of course."

"Want me to take a crack at her?"

"No, she's telling the truth."

"Didn't think that was possible for a Hexenbeist. Did Emma give you anything?"

"Yeah. A pendant. It turns into a key. I have no idea what it's for. It doesn't open anything in the trailer, but the sides of it make a…"

"Map. Where is it?"

Back at the trailer, Mary opened four drawers in a cabinet and a secret compartment opened.

"Okay. That's cool. What is that?"

"A page from one of the first diaries ever kept by one of us. Legend has it that there are seven keys forged for the knights who fought for the seven royal families in the 4th Crusade. When you put the keys together, they make one big map, leading to the location where the knights hid the precious wealth they stole from Constantinople. Those knights are our ancestors."

"So they worked for the seven royal families?"

"Some of them did. They needed us."

"So the wesen fought for the royals?"

"Yes and the royals need the Grimms to control them as they do now, but there was one thing in the treasure the knights hid that was more powerful than anyone had ever seen. If the royal families got ahold of it, they could control the world."

"What was so powerful?"

"I wish I knew. This was the only page left of the diary. Damon, they know you have the key."

"Who?"

"The royal families. They're the only one powerful enough to send a Mauvais Dentes. My guess is they want the key and they want you dead."

"How would they know I have a key? I haven't shown it to anyone."

"There must be somebody in Portland who knows," said Mary as Damon's phone rang.

"Salvatore."

"Detective, it's Agent Keller. I'm in the old lumber mill on St. Helens Road."

"What do you need?"

"He killed my partner. He said if you don't come alone he's going to kill me." Agent Keller than hung up.

"What?" Mary asked.

"The Mauvais Dentes killed an FBI agent working on the case I told you about. He's got another. He's waiting for me."

"He's drawing you in."

"Let's not keep him waiting." Fifteen minutes later, they arrived at the lumber mill. "He's got the agents inside the building."

"That doesn't mean he'll be there. He'll want you to get close. I don't know how, but he will try to deceive you. He won't be predictable." Damon walked into the front entrance of the building while Mary took the back. Damon followed a trail of blood when Monroe called him.

"Yeah?" Damon whispered.

"Damon, we've got the stuff for Emma. It's ready, but it's like unstable. It's only going to be good for another forty-five minutes and if we don't get this in her soon we have to start from scratch. Meet us at the hospital."

"I'll be there as soon as I can."

"Damon, what's wrong?"

"Can't get into it right now." And as he hung up, the Mauvais Dentes came up behind him, his saber-tooth like fangs at the ready.


	11. Honeythief

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything**

"_If a man of pure heart were to fall in love with her, that would bring her back to life."_

* * *

As the Mauvais Dentes pounced on its new prey, Damon punched him with vampire strength. The creature jumped away at unnatural speed and Damon shot at it. The Mauvais Dentes ran away and Damon chased after him. At super speed, he caught up and they engaged in a fist fight. Mary then appeared behind the Mauvais Dentes and held a knife at his throat.

"Who told you about my son?" Mary demanded.

"No one told me about you." Mary then impaled him in the throat. The Mauvais Dentes was dead.

"Let's go. I have to get to Emma."

In Emma's room, Damon arrived just in time to administer the solution Rosalee gave him at the entrance of the hospital. Meanwhile, the Portland police had found the body of the Mauvais Dentes. Seeing the crime scene photos himself, Peter called his brother in Europe.

"Hello?"

"I'm sorry to wake you, brother, but sometimes events overrule civility."

"What event is worth ruining my sleep?"

"I'm dealing with the killing of a young man."

"Young men die everyday. Why wake me for this one?"

"This isn't just any young man. He arrived on a ship registered to a front company in Rotterdam. Really? You should mix it up a bit if you want my professional opinion. Shall I go on?"

"Yes."

"He's dead. Disappointed?"

"How did he die?"

"Violently."

"Were you involved?"

"Funny. I was just about to ask you the same thing. Guess I have my answer."

"The family has waited long enough. Patience may be a strategy for you, but not for us. "

"So you send a Mauvais Dentes here to kill him?"

"If the Grimm had died, he would have proved not worth the effort. But let me remind you, brother, any more interference by you will not be tolerated."

"Well, from what I've seen of your Mauvais Dentes, no interference is needed," said Peter before hanging up.

The next morning, Damon walked down the stairs, prepared to confront Karen Schade again. Rosalee had called Damon earlier to tell her that Karen had picked up the ingredients she ordered.

"I've got a meeting with a Hexenbeist," said Damon, walking into the living room where his mother was.

"The mother of the woman who poisoned Emmalyne?"

"Yes. I think she knows what her daughter gave Emma."

"I have a better idea. Let me talk to her on a more personal level. Mother to mother."

"Okay, but be careful. I'll be at the precinct if you need me."

At the precinct, Karen called Peter.

"It's about time," he answered.

"It would be better if you came over here and got it. It might seem a little odd if I brought this to your office."

"I'll be right there." A few minutes later, Peter arrived at Karen's house. "Where is it?"

"I've got it right here." She handed him a clear jar filled with a white liquid.

"How do I give this to her?"

"You don't. It's not for her. It's for you."

"What do you mean?"

"It's a purification process. The person who wakes her has to be pure of heart. It's challenging finding someone like that nowadays so we have to do it chemically. The more pure of heart you are, the less painful the process."

"What are these lumps?"

"It's better you don't know. And since you're barely human, you're in for quite a ride, sweetie."

"Don't call me that," Peter said before leaving. When he left, Mary entered Karen's house.

"So you're Adalind's mother," Mary said.

"Oh God. Another Grimm," Karen groaned. "What do you want?"

"I'm a mother too. What's wrong with Emmalyne?"

"You're his mother?"

"And I'm feeling very protective right now."

"My daughter did this. Not me."

"But you can fix it."

"I'm not involved. I had nothing to do with what she did."

"You're her mother. You taught her everything."

"Including when to keep her mouth shut."

"Now is not that time."

"You have no idea how high this goes."

"Heights don't scare me," said Mary as she grabbed Karen by the throat.

"There's a prince," Karen choked out.

"Where?"

"Here. In Portland." Mary released Karen from her grip.

"Tell me about this prince."

"Well, he's handsome, charming, and…a bastard. And I mean that literally."

"Who is he?"

"That, my dear, you'll have to earn the hard way." Karen attacked Mary with a knife, but Mary was too strong. She impaled Karen with her own knife.

"Tell me how to save Emma."

"You can't. Only he can," Karen whispered before succumbing to her wounds.

That night, while Peter went through the painful purification process, Damon walked into his house where his mother was waiting at the dining room table.

"I met the Hexenbeist," said Mary. "It didn't go well."

"Yeah, I got called in to see the aftermath."

"I'm sorry, Damon."

"What about Emma?"

"She said that we can't save Emma. Only he can."

"And who is she talking about?"

"Royalty."

"In Europe?"

"No. Here. In Portland."

"Here? Who is it?"

"I couldn't find out. I tried. Damon, it's time for me to go. I need the coins." A few minutes later, Damon gave Mary the coins at the trailer.

"How long will it take?" Damon asked.

"To destroy them? There's no telling. It's a long way and there's people looking for them."

"Well, I wish I could do it for you."

"Well, I wish you could have a normal life."

"My life hasn't been normal since the day I met Katherine Pierce."

"I don't know what will happen with Emma, but don't make the same mistake I did. Don't leave the people you love."

"Even if that puts them in danger?"

"I don't have an easy answer. All I have are a lot of regrets."

"You don't owe anyone an apology."

"Yes, I do."

"I thought about you everyday for my entire life and having you back in it…I don't see anything I could ask for more." She hugged him.

"I'll come back if I can. I promise. Now one more thing."

"What?"

"You have to take me to the station."

"I can handle that." Half an hour later, Damon stopped his car at the train station.

"You're so much like your father."

"I don't know if that's a good thing or a bad thing," Damon scoffed. Mary laughed.

"Maybe a little of both. I love you."

"I love you too." Mary exited the car and when Damon drove off, she stole a car. At the hospital, Peter walked into Emma's room. He kissed Emma and disappeared just as Damon entered the room. Emma's eyes opened groggily.

"Damon?" Emma rasped.

"Emma, you're awake!" Damon then kissed her. Even though the solution he had given Emma wasn't supposed to wake her up, he didn't care. Emma was awake. That was all that mattered.

* * *

**Please review!**


	12. Metalingus

_"Then she began to weep bitterly, and said, 'What can a poor girl like me do now?'"_

It was a late night when Damon brought a large bouquet of flowers to Emma's hospital room.

"Hey," Emma said.

"Hey. How you feeling?"

"Even though I was in a coma, really tired. What happened to me, Damon?"

"I don't know. All I know is that Adalind put some kind of spell on her cat. I just glad you came out of it. I brought you a surprise."

"I thought the flowers were the surprise."

"Nope." Damon put a thermos on the bedside table. "Blood. You've been here for a few days so I'm sure you're hungry."

"Thank you. You're so sweet," said Emma, taking the thermos and having a long sip. "Aw. It's my favorite. AB-."

"Only the best for my girl. I'm so glad you're alright," said Damon before kissing Emma's forehead.

"You worry so much. Everything worked out, didn't it?"

"Yes, it did."

"So when can I get out of here?"

"Tonight actually."

"Great."

The next morning, Damon went to work and noticed that Harry's condition was increasingly getting worse and worse. Damon was afraid he was going to have a psychotic break soon.

"Hey. How you doing?" Damon asked.

"Hanging in there."

"You don't sound like it."

"Look, I've been doing this a long time and I think maybe it's starting to get to me."

"You've been under a lot of stress lately."

"I put three bullet holes in my closet, Damon, and there wasn't anything there."

"You're a good cop, Harry."

"I was. I'm not so sure anymore."

"Hey. Look. I know a lot of weird stuff has been going on lately…"

"I'm thinking about going to the Captain, Damon. I don't think I can do this anymore."

"Harry."

"Look, I don't trust myself and that's not good for either of us."

"Listen to me. You and I need to talk about some of these things that have been going on lately. I…" Suddenly, Damon was interrupted by Sergeant Chang.

"Harry, there's a guy here to see you. Says he knows you. Gerald Kampfer."

"Yeah. Where is he?"

"Coming at you."

"Hey, man. What's going on?" Harry asked.

"I'm sorry to bother you, Harry, but I think something's happened to Carly," said Gerald.

"Carly? You kidding? Here. Sit down. Gerald, this is my partner, Damon. Damon, this is Gerald Kampfer. An old friend. Is Carly in some kind of trouble?"

"I don't know. She was supposed to meet with her school counselor this morning and she didn't show up. And that's not like her at all."

"When's the last time you saw her?" Damon asked.

"Last night before she went sleep. I left home early for work. I didn't want to wake her up so I didn't check up on her before I left. And then I got the call from work from her counselor about where she was…so I went home, checked her room. Her cellphone was there. She never leaves her cellphone at home. Her laundry was there. Her bed was made. She never makes her bed. So I don't even think she slept in it last night."

"Was there any sign of forced entry?" Harry asked.

"No. Harry, I don't know where she is."

"Have you and Carly received any threats?"

"No."

"How old's your daughter?" Damon asked.

"She just turned seventeen."

"She still seeing that Robert guy?" Harry asked.

"No. They broke up last month. I called him. I called her friends. Nobody's seen her."

"What about her mom?" Damon asked.

"Lisa passed five years ago."

"Was anything missing from her room?" Harry asked. "Clothes, computer?"

"No."

"Was your daughter involved in any groups? Gangs?"

"No. She's never been in any kind of trouble." Damon then witnessed Gerald turn into a coyote-like creature for a split second. "It doesn't make any sense at all, but I didn't want to call the police until I was sure something was wrong."

"Is there anything we need to know about your personal life? Work? Associates?"

"Damon, I've known Gerald since high school. We were on the football team together," said Harry. "Carly's my goddaughter."

"I'm really, really worried, Harry."

"I know. We're going to check out a few things before we file a missing persons report. I'm going to need the names and numbers of anybody she could be with or anybody who might know where she is."

"Okay."

"Gerald, I promise you we will find her."

"I'm going to run some predators," Damon whispered before leaving. At the trailer, Damon talked to Monroe.

"Coyotls. Mean, nasty little bullies," said Monroe. "Not someone you want to run into in a dark alley or apartment garage, under the bleachers."

"So we're talking street gangs of the wesen world."

"Yeah, pretty much. Minus the black leather jackets and the steel-toed boots.

"So it'd be a big deal to leave the pack."

"Dude, the biggest. I mean they're like once in never out. Serious no-no. You really know a coyotl who did and lived to tell about it?"

"Maybe. These look like fertility symbols," said Damon, looking at the book.

"Typical coyotl. It's all about breeding or in-breeding as is usually the case. The female is taken by a member of the pack into the fertility matrix. I guessing that's what the thing with the rope and skulls is."

"So we're talking about some kind of mating ritual."

"According to this, it's how they introduce females to the pack. No wonder Harry's buddy moved back to Portland. Talk about in-laws. Says here they must complete the aseveracion, or ritual consummation after the female's seventeenth year."

"When after the seventeenth year?"

"One of the classics. The full moon."

"Let me guess."

"Tonight."

"I've got to go."

When Damon returned to the precinct, Gerald was still there. Harry left to get some coffee, giving Damon the opportunity to confront Gerald.

"Listen, I'm going to tell you something and you're probably going to get all upset, but I want you to know I'm on your side. I know what you are."

"What are you talking about?"

"You're a coyotl. Relax. I'm a Grimm and I'm going to help you find your daughter, but we don't have a lot of time to talk before Harry gets back. So if there's anything you think I should know, now's the time."

"Does Harry know about me or you?"

"No. And that has not been easy to deal with."

"Yeah, I know."

"Could there be a coyotl connection to your daughter's disappearance?"

"I don't know. I never thought about that. It's been so many years since we left. Lisa and I wanted to raise Carly in a more normal environment."

"What do you know about aseveracion?"

"I know it's a barbaric ritual we don't want any part of, but that's Lisa's family and they live back in Texas…Oh my God."

"What? You guys come up with something?" Harry asked.

"Yeah, Lisa's family in Texas were pretty angry that we left. Accused me of breaking up the family, things got pretty heated which is why I left the way I did, but I haven't spoken to them in over ten years."

"Give me a name," said Harry.

"Hayden. It's his sister I married. Hayden Walker."

"What happened when your wife died?" Damon asked. "Did they come to the funeral?"

"No. They treated her like she never even existed."

"I thought you said Hayden Walker lived in Texas," Harry said.

"He does."

"Not anymore. He's here. Working. Even got himself a record. Four traffic tickets in two months. One disorderly conduct."

"Yeah that sounds like Hayden."

"Is he a mechanic?"

"Yeah. That's the one thing he can do."

"Well, I know where he's working."

Striking out at Hayden's place of employment, Damon obtained an address from his boss. When they arrived at Hayden's apartment, they broke in. They looked in the bathroom and found dead animals.

"We need to tear this place apart and find out where he is and fast," said Damon.

"Hey, Damon. I think I've got something here," said Harry, looking at a foreclosure listing. On the road, Gerald, Damon, and Harry headed toward the foreclosed farm just outside of Portland.

"What else did you find in Hayden's apartment?" Gerald asked.

"Nothing," Harry said.

"Yes, you did. I can smell it on you."

"Okay, look there were some dead animals. Gerald, whatever this guy is into is not good."

"No, it's not good. I know what this guy is capable of, Harry. I know him."

"Alright then tell me. What is he into?"

"We're here," said Damon, stopping the car.

"That's him. That older guy in the middle. That's Hayden. Those two other guys are his sons, Todd and Kyle. They were kids last time I saw them."

"Gerald, stay in the car. Let us handle this," said Harry as he and Damon exited the car.

"Hayden Walker?" Damon asked.

"Yeah. Have I done something I don't know about?"

"Just want to ask you some questions."

"Turn down the music, Kyle. What can I do you for? Happy to help any way I can. What's the problem?"

"We're looking for a missing girl. Your niece, Carly Kampfer."

"Carly's missing? Well, that's terrible. Haven't seen her in years. We don't have much contact with that side of the family."

"You came all the way out here from Texas and you didn't bother reach out?" Harry asked.

"Didn't think we'd be welcome."

"Why's that?" Damon asked as Gerald exited the car.

"Where's Carly! I know you have her, Hayden. Where is she!"

"It's awful to hear that Carly's missing."

"Where is she?"

"I was just telling the detectives I have no idea. Detective, I don't know what he's told you, but he took my sister from my home town and I haven't seen her in years." Gerald then saw something and ran off.

"I've got him," said Harry.

"It's a shame you drove out here for nothing," said Hayden. "How'd you find me if you don't mind me asking?"

"I don't mind you asking." After Gerald left the barn, he went after Hayden just as Damon and Harry noticed a rope connected to a well moving. As Damon and Harry helped Carly out of the well, Hayden's sons incapacitated Gerald.

"Dad, look at the well," said Kyle.

"Get the guns." Under fire, Damon, Carly, and Harry ran into the barn.

"Don't let them get me," said Carly.

"We're not going to let that happen," said Harry, holding Carly.

"You don't know them. They're going to hurt me."

"I need you to calm down and listen."

"You don't know what they're going to do to me."

"You can't go out there."

"They'll kill my Dad. Then me. Let me go!" Carly broke free, her eyes turning yellow, but Damon grabbed her. "Oh my God."

"I'm not going to hurt you."

"Don't kill me. He'll kill me."

"Carly, he's my partner," said Harry.

"Let me go!" She shoved Harry off her, transforming. Harry immediately drew his gun, but Damon stepped in between the two.

"Harry, don't! It's just Carly."

"No, it's not. You don't see what I do. She's changed. I'm not crazy. I saw her."

"I saw her too."

"No, you didn't! Nobody does!"

"I saw her change, Harry. You're not crazy."

"No."

"Harry, what you saw really happened. I see what they are. But right now she's just Carly." Damon stepped away and Carly had transformed back. "I've seen others that you haven't seen."

"Then you're crazy too."

"I thought I was, but then I found out it was a lot more complicated than that. Look, we don't have a lot of time to talk about it right now. You have to believe me, Harry. I know what you've been going through and I know what you've seen and I've seen a lot more of it for a lot longer."

"I'm sorry, Harry. I just thought he was going to kill me," said Carly.

"Why?"

"He's a Grimm. It's what they do."

"A what?"

"A Grimm," said Damon. "It's sort of a family problem. Look, I promise I'll explain it better later, but right now you just have to trust me."

"Fellas! We need to talk!" yelled Hayden from outside. "I want to come in! I'm unarmed! We can work this out where nobody gets hurts! But if anything happens to me, Gerald dies. You good with that?"

"What's he trying to pull?" Harry asked.

"He thinks he's got an advantage because of what he is, but he doesn't know what I am. So we're going to let him in."

"Is he going to do what Carly did?"

"I think so and you've got to be ready."

"Oh, I'm ready."

"Hayden, come on in!"

"We can work this out, fellas," said Hayden as he walked into the barn. "There's no need to get serious. I just want to talk. I'm not armed."

"You're under arrest," said Damon.

"Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law."

"Aw, come on guys. You know this is never going to court. You have no idea what you're dealing with. Let me show you why." Hayden came at him transformed, but Harry punched him down.

"Coyotl right?" Harry asked.

"Yeah, Harry. Second one today." Hayden looked at Carly.

"That's right. He's a Grimm."

"Anything happens to me they'll kill you all!"

"It's time for you to scream, Carly." Carly screamed and ran out of the barn.

"He's killing them." As several members of Hayden's family ran into the barn, Gerald bit Kyle in the arm, making Kyle drop the gun he had to his head. Carly then hit Kyle with a metal tire iron, knocking him out.

"Guns on the ground," said Harry to the four members of the Walker family as they entered the barn.

"Hands up," Damon added.

That night after putting the Walker family in jail and filing the report, Damon sat down to talk to Harry.

"Listen, I know today has been…"

"Don't even try," said Harry.

"What?"

"Today's been one of the better days of my life."

"Really?"

"Yeah."

"How?"

"Because I might be crazy, but I know I'm not alone."

TO BE CONTINUED


	13. Actions and Motives

_"The will to conquer is the first condition of victory."_

"Wow. You look amazing," said Damon as Emma walked down the stairs prepared for a night on the town.

"Thanks. Can you…" She turned around and he saw that her dress was unzipped.

"Of course. You're wearing the perfume I gave you for your birthday."

"It smells nice," Emma replied as Damon pulled her zipper up. She turned around and kissed him.

"Thanks for coming to this thing with me. I hope it's not too dull."

"Of course. I wouldn't be a good girlfriend if I didn't attend all my boyfriend's boring work functions. Anyway it sounds like this award is a big honor."

"It is which means the Captain will be giving a very big, long speech."

"We better get going." An hour later, Emma and Damon were listening to Captain LeGrange's speech.

"I'm honored by this award and for the recognition that it bestows. The Landmark Organization has been a beacon of hope and opportunity for so many in our community. But for me, the highest honor is serving with the men and women of the Portland Police Bureau, whose bravery and commitment and dedication to law and order is a constant source of inspiration. So to them I say thank you and with them, I share in this award. Thank you all." After a few pictures, Peter walked off the stage and to Damon's table.

"Liked your speech, Captain."

"Thanks, Damon. To be honest, I don't really like these things. It always feels like I'm getting the credit for other people's work." Damon's phone then rang.

"Salvatore."

"So Damon tells me you're feeling better," said Peter to Emma.

"Yeah. I am. Thank you."

"A murder and a home invasion has everybody on the west side tied up so they need us to handle a 55 Adam in Mill Park," said Damon to Harry.

"I thought this was our night off."

"The 'off' part is over," said Damon before he turned to Emma. "I'm so sorry."

"No, it's okay. I understand."

"You take the car. I'll go with Harry."

"Oh no. Bad idea. I walked," said Harry.

"I'll just take a cab," Emma replied.

"No, I could always take you home if you don't mind waiting," said Peter.

"If that's not too much trouble."

"I just made a speech about bravery and commitment. It's the least I can do." Damon kissed Emma goodbye.

"Guess I don't need this," said Harry, holding a glass.

"Ooh, scotch. Gimme." A few hours later, Peter had pulled up outside Emma's house.

"Thank you for driving me home," Emma said.

"Of course. I never thanked you."

"For what?"

"For agreeing to work with me on this key business. I appreciate your help."

"We all want the same thing. Good night, Peter."

"Good night." Meanwhile across town, Monroe had called Damon over.

"So how was your day?" Monroe asked.

"Do you really want to know?"

"Yes in that it will postpone me telling you what I have to tell you. And no in that we might as well just get it over with. How are things going with Emma?"

"Monroe, just tell me what you need to say."

"Okay. I saw…a guy in the spice shop. He was coming out of the back room with Emma."

"Okay."

"Listen, I'm only saying this because when I dated Emma, she did the same thing to me. Emma and this guy were pretty friendly if you know what I mean."

"Oh come on, Monroe. Emma wouldn't cheat on me."

"He had his arms around her. Emma saw me looking and was so flustered she left the shop."

"Who's the guy?" Damon asked, suspicious.

"That's a good question. Because I don't know his name and I don't know what the circumstances are or what the relationship is if there even is a relationship. But I don't know the whole story. I'm sorry. I shouldn't have told you this."

"No. It's, uh, better to deal with the truth. Emma's keeping secrets from me." Damon's phone then rang. "Salvatore."

"Sorry I have to tell you this, but Harry got the hell beat out of him," said an officer.

"What?"

"He's gone to the hospital. We're at his house. It's completely trashed. We're securing the scene now."

"What do we know?"

"All we know is what he was able to tell us. Two guys, maybe more. Could have been a home invasion."

"I'm heading to the hospital."

The next morning, Harry woke up to see Damon sitting in a chair.

"How long have you been there?"

"Long enough to get really pissed. Who did this to you?" Damon asked.

"Didn't get much of a look. Happened so fast. I could have been killed. You're not gonna believe who stopped by last night to see me. Adalind."

"Adalind? She's here?"

"Oh yeah. She thinks you had something to do with her mother's death. You didn't, did you?"

"It wasn't me."

"But you know who did it."

"Yeah."

"And you're not gonna tell me."

"I'll tell you what I think. I think Adalind had something to do with you getting beat up."

"Why?"

"I have something she wants. And this gets you out of the way. I'm gonna find her."

"And do what?"

"Eat her!" An hour or so later, patrol had picked up Adalind at a coffee shop.

"Can you account for your whereabouts the day your mother was murdered?" Damon asked her in interrogation.

"Can you?"

"You didn't answer the question."

"I was out of the country."

"Eh, you need to be a little more specific."

"Vienna. I only have my passport stamp, my airplane ticket, and my credit card receipts to prove where I was. So if I didn't do it, who do you think did?"

"What was your relationship like with your mother?"

"Good and bad, like most."

"How did you find out about your mother's death?"

"I got an email from her lawyers."

"You saw Harry last night."

"I did. I miss him."

"Well, you know, he's in the hospital."

"What happened?" Adalind sincerely mocked.

"He got beat up about the same time you were there."

"You don't think I had anything to do with it, do you? Damon, Harry's a big man. What chance would I have to…"

"Where'd you go after you saw Harry?"

"Back to the hotel. I ordered room service and stayed in the rest of the night."

"And what hotel?"

"The Deluxe, Room 212. Ask for Xander. He was the nice, young waiter who brought me my food. I'm sure he'd remember me."

"And the hotel room is registered under your name?"

"Nope. It's registered with the company I work for. GQR Industries based in Rotterdam."

"And what is it you do for them?"

"A little bit of everything. I've only been with them for a couple of months, but they have their hands in a lot of pies. Do you know what the key to their success is?"

"I'm not interested."

"You should be. That's what this all comes down to, Damon. The Key. You know where it is. Why don't you just give it up and be done with it?"

"I'm done with you." As Damon walked out of interrogation, Monroe called him. "What's up?"

"Hey, so I went and I visited Harry in the hospital and just from looking at him I had a gut feeling it was Wesen. So I went to his place. That's where I am now."

"What do you got?"

"From the lingering stink, Hundjager, more than one."

"Well that would mean Verrat."

"If these guys are back in Portland, it must be."

"Then Adalind is working for the Royals. She said she was working for GQR Industries, same company that owns the ship that brought us the Mauvais Dentes."

"I think we gotta track these Hundjager down."

"Okay. Start at the Deluxe Hotel, Room 212. That's where Adalind said she's staying. But be careful."

"I think the time for being careful is over, Damon." A few minutes later, Monroe called Damon back. "You'll never guess who's in Adalind's hotel room."

"Who?"

"Definitely the two Hundjagers who were at Harry's place and from the smell of it I'm thinking one or two more. What do you want me to do?"

"I'm on my way. Lead them to the back of the hotel." When Damon arrived at the hotel parking lot, Monroe met up with him.

"It worked."

"How many of them?"

"Definitely four. What do you want to do? Arrest them or what?"

"Or what."

"I was hoping you'd say that." Damon went to hide behind the trees while Monroe distracted them.

"Who are you?" a hundjager asked.

"I'm the guy who's looking for Leroy, man. He owes me money. You don't remember?"

"Shut up!"

"Easy there. No need to get all huffy and puffy with me."

"Kill him."

"Well, isn't that just like the Verrat?" Damon asked, approaching them from behind. "One answer for every question. Now I have a question for you. Which one of you beat up my partner?"

"The Grimm." At super speed, Damon hit three Hundjagers with a spiked bat while Monroe took out another. They were all dead.

"Let's go. Get their IDs, cell phones, anything else they have. Take it back to your place," said Damon.

"Oh, that's great. All the evidence at my place. "

"And this."

"And the murder weapon too. Why not?" Damon left to talk to Adalind at the police station.

"I just had a nice talk with your friends in The Verrat," he said.

"Really? How'd that go?"

"Well, they said as much as they're gonna say."

"Well, there's plenty more where they came from."

"You're working for the Royals."

"Girl's gotta eat."

"You can't hide in here forever, you know. I just can't figure out what to charge you with."

"You think I tried to kill Emma. Well, I have a confession to make. I did. Of course, I was just one of many. Haven't you ever wondered who put me up to it?"

"The Royal here in Portland?"

"Uh-huh. Would you like a name to go along with that?"

"That'd be nice."

"Well, I'd like nothing better than to tell you, Damon. Really I would. Because under different circumstances, I think you and I could have really had some fun. All you have to do is give me the Key, then you'll have your answer and I'll be out of your life forever."

"I guess you don't need to be a Hexenbiest to be a witch."

"You don't have to be a witch to work this kind of magic." That night, Damon met Monroe at the blutbod's house.

"I've been thinking about Emma and this guy for awhile now. I've been twisting myself into a Knotten-Brezel, but I'm just gonna come right out with it. There's something I gotta show you. It's something I recorded off the news a couple of weeks ago and I wasn't sure if I should show you, you know? But I think you have a right to know." He showed a video of Peter. Damon was shocked. "You know him, don't you?"

"Yeah, I know him. I work for him."

"Your girlfriend and your boss? That's about as gnarly as it gets. Hey, wait a minute. Where do you think you're going? You're not going where I think you're going because if it were me, I would be going there. But you can't. Damon, hold on. This is one of those pause, take a deep breath situations when you can't be going half, full, or any other degree of cocked."

"Monroe, move."

"Damon."

"Now!"

"We'll talk in the car, okay?"

"I'm not going to do anything. Maybe." Damon left and watched his house. He saw Peter's car pull up and Emma opened the door. She hugged him warmly. Monroe was right. They were friendly. From the car, Damon eavesdropped on their conversation.

"Why do you have the key?" Emma asked once Peter was in the house.

"Just listen."

"Peter, this is not what we agreed to!"

"This has to stop. We need to tell him."

"Not now, idiot."

"I'm ending it. The secrets stop now. I can't keep doing this. And you're not stopping me." Damon's phone then rang.

"Captain," he answered.

"Damon, I think we should talk."

"Sure. Why not?" Damon asked as he waltzed into the living room.

"Damon," Emma whispered.

"We have a lot to talk about," said Peter.

"Let's start with this." He punched him.

"Damon, we don't have to do it this way."

"Yeah, we do. How dare you try to make a move on my girl."

"Damon, stop! It's not what you think!" Emma yelled as veins appeared around Peter's face.

"You…you're a blutsager."

"Just listen to me," said Peter.

"How long have you known about me?"

"Ever since you first saw Emma."

"You tried to kill her."

"It was never about her. It was always about the key."

"You took the key."

"You don't understand how important this is."

"I have a pretty good idea."

"Damon! Here." He threw the key to him. "I'm giving it back to you. It's why I called you. I've known about that key far longer than you have. And you can kill me and this won't end. Or I could kill you, but this still won't end. If Adalind gets that key, we're both dead. So unless you and I can figure out a way to resolve our differences, they will win, Damon.

"The Royal Families."

"It's a lot bigger than you and me. And we're gonna have to deal with this one way or another."

"How involved are you and Emma?"

"Damon, it's not what you think," said Emma.

"You keep saying that, but have yet to explain it."

"He's my brother!"

"Brot-what?"

"He's my half-brother."

"Then that would make you…"

"I'm not a Royal. Our mother was a Lamian blutsager. As you know, they can bear blutsager children. Peter's father was royal. My father wasn't. Peter and I have recently come to an agreement concerning that key. We're working together to keep it away from the Family. That's all that's been going and it's insulting that you think I would ever cheat on you."

"I should go," Peter said.

"I'll show you out," Emma replied. When Emma returned to the living room, Damon was sitting on the couch.

"God, I'm stupid."

"You're not stupid. I'm as much to blame as anyone else. I should have told you about Peter. But I was just trying to protect you both."

"I should have trusted you. Your love has never wavered for me. And especially when I was going to…"

"Are you talking about this?" Emma removed a small black box from her pocket. "I found it in your sock drawer. "It's a beautiful engagement ring."

"I kept trying to find the perfect moment, but it never came."

"You have to make your moments."

"Before any of this…if I'd asked you last night, what would you have said?"

"Yes."

"And now?" Emma took the ring from the box, studied it for a moment, and placed it on her hand.

"I will love you forever and always. Nothing will ever change that. No more secrets?"

"No more secrets." Emma held out her hand and Damon took it, going upstairs with his fiancé.


End file.
